The United Nations gave its strong endorsement on Monday to the Trump administration’s ambitious plan to stabilize and govern Gaza, marking a pivotal milestone in international support for U.S. initiatives aimed at fostering peace in the war-ravaged region. This development comes after two tumultuous years of conflict.

The proposal, approved by the UN’s most influential body, sanctions the establishment of an international stabilization force to ensure security in Gaza. It also outlines the creation of a transitional authority under the oversight of President Donald Trump, while charting a possible course toward an independent Palestinian state in the future.

President Trump celebrated the approval on social media, heralding it as a monumental achievement. “This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World, and is a moment of true Historic proportion!” he declared.

Endorsing Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan, the vote builds on the delicate truce he negotiated alongside international allies. This marks a significant stride in U.S. efforts to shape Gaza’s future following the devastation wrought by the Israel-Hamas conflict, which claimed tens of thousands of lives and left much of the territory in ruins.

Central to the proposal is the creation of a Board of Peace, which will act as a transitional authority headed by Trump. The international stabilization force is granted a comprehensive mandate, tasked with border oversight, security provision, and the demilitarization of the region. The authorization for both the board and the force is set to expire at the end of 2027.

Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had signaled that U.N. authorization was essential for their participation.

Russia, which had circulated a rival resolution, abstained along with China on the 13-0 vote after fears Moscow might use its veto in the U.N. Security Council.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the resolution “historic and constructive,” saying it starts a new course in the Middle East.

“Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” he said. He stressed that the resolution “is just the beginning.”

Stronger language on Palestinian state helps get the US plan over the finish line

During nearly two weeks of negotiations on the U.S. resolution, Arab nations and the Palestinians had pressed the United States to strengthen language about Palestinian self-determination.

But the proposal still gives no timeline or guarantee for an independent state, only saying it’s possible after advances in the reconstruction of Gaza and reforms of the Palestinian Authority, which now governs parts of the West Bank.

The U.S. revised the resolution to say that after those steps, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it adds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood and repeated that position Sunda y at a time when his hard-line governing partners have expressed concern about the resolution’s endorsement of a “pathway” to Palestinian independence.

A key to the resolution’s adoption was support from Arab and Muslim nations pushing for a ceasefire and potentially contributing to the international force. The U.S. mission to the United Nations distributed a joint statement Friday with Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey calling for “swift adoption” of the U.S. proposal.

The vote took place amid hopes that Gaza’s fragile ceasefire would be maintained after a war set off by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s more than two-year offensive has killed over 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority are women and children.

What else the US proposal says

The U.S. resolution calls for the stabilization force to ensure “the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” A big question is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted that step.

It authorizes the force “to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate” in compliance with international law, which is U.N. language for the use of military force.

The resolution says the stabilization troops will help secure border areas, along with a Palestinian police force that they have trained and vetted, and they will coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian assistance. It says the force should closely consult and cooperate with neighboring Egypt and Israel.

As the international force establishes control and brings stability, the resolution says Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.” These must be agreed to by the stabilization force, Israeli forces, the U.S. and the guarantors of the ceasefire, it says.