UNSC expected to vote on Gaza stabilisation force next week
NEW YORK: The UN Security Council (UNSC) will vote on the US-sponsored draft resolution authorising an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza on Monday.
The vote comes as Washington presses members to endorse US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, while Russia has formally placed a rival text before the UNSC, arguing that the American draft falls short of established international legal principles. Pakistan had joined other key Muslim and Arab states on Friday in expressing support for the US resolution.
In a post on X, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration’s plan “is the best path to peace in the Middle East”, noting that the resolution “enjoys broad international and regional support”.
“We are grateful to Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkiye for their endorsement,” he wrote, adding that the Middle East has “never been this close to a real and lasting peace”.
Soon after the US circulated its draft, the Russian Mission to the UN issued a detailed explanation of its decision to table an alternative resolution.
Moscow said it welcomed the mediatory efforts that produced the current ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians, and the resumption of humanitarian aid.
But it stressed that it was the UNSC — “the main body responsible for maintaining international peace and security” — that must define the “rightful role and necessary tools to ensure accountability and control”.
The Russian statement argued that the US draft did not sufficiently uphold “universally recognised international legal standards”, particularly the long-standing two-state framework for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
It said Russia’s proposal sought to align the peacekeeping arrangements for Gaza with established UNSC decisions, while “not contradicting the American initiative”.
Moscow said its draft would enable the UNSC to set “clear modalities” for deploying a peacekeeping contingent and establishing an administration in Gaza. It calls on the UN secretary general to submit options for implementing the relevant provisions of Trump’s plan, but within the broader international legal architecture. “Only a truly equitable and inclusive approach … can ensure a durable cessation of hostilities,” the mission said, expressing hope that UNSC members would reach an agreement.In a joint statement, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkiye, and the US reaffirmed their support for the resolution, describing the Trump plan as a “historic” framework endorsed at Sharm Al-Sheikh. Monitoring Desk
