UNSC Adopted Gaza Peace Plan Resolution: What does it mean for Pakistan?

The United Nations Security Council on 17 November approved through voting the U.S.-drafted Resolution No. 2803, in which, while endorsing Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, permission was granted for an International Stabilization Force for the Palestinian territory, whereas there was also a concern that this resolution could be vetoed by Russia, however encouragingly, not a single vote came against the resolution.

The purpose of the resolution, among other matters, is to gain the confidence of the countries sending military forces to Gaza by giving legal status to a transitional administrative body included as a “Board of Peace” in a 20‑point agenda. Including Pakistan, 13 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, while Russia and China abstained. The U.S. President’s 20‑point Gaza peace plan is attached along with the resolution in the form of an annex. Under the resolution, approval was granted for the establishment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will be helpful in eliminating military infrastructure in an effort to demilitarize Gaza, as is also mentioned in the peace plan.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, while specifically mentioning the protection of the Palestinian people, held the position that Pakistan voted in favor of the resolution under the basic objective to stop bloodshed in Gaza, ensure protection of civilians, sustain the ceasefire, and pave the way for humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces — while Pakistan also voted in accordance with the position of group of 8 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and Türkiye, who endorsed Trump’s plan after the New York Declaration in September, along with saving the lives of innocent Palestinians including women and children.

In my personal opinion, the entire world was awaiting this resolution of the Security Council, whereas Russia and China chose to abstain rather than veto because the resolution does not mention the two‑state solution to the Palestine issue, even though it was understood as a means to establish peace in Gaza. It is noteworthy that under U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 242, Israel must withdraw from the territories acquired by aggression in 1967 — only then can the two‑state plan become operational, and the Palestine issue can only be resolved through a mutually agreed settlement between both parties.

According to the text of the resolution, now perhaps circumstances may be created under which a credible path may be paved for the right of self‑determination and statehood of the Palestinians — but this will be possible only when the Palestinian Authority completes the reform program and progress is made in Gaza’s reconstruction. However, Israel has rejected this possibility. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his cabinet meeting on Sunday, said: “Our stance opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state in any area has not changed.”

Here, it is also necessary to understand that if Netanyahu does not speak against the Gaza peace plan, extremist Zionists will not allow him to remain in the prime minister’s office for long and will also become active in removing him from the government — and if U.S. President Donald Trump has presented this plan, then in the event of its violation by Israel, the United States — which has repeatedly vetoed Gaza‑related anti‑Israel resolutions in the past in the Security Council — may withdraw its support and step back from measures taken for its assistance, including withdrawing naval fleets present in the Mediterranean.

On the other hand, Hamas has, for now, rejected the resolution approved by the Security Council, saying that it does not fulfill the rights and demands of Palestinians and is an attempt to impose an international guardianship over Gaza, which the Palestinian people and resistance factions do not accept. The tasks given to the International Force inside Gaza — including disarming the resistance — eliminate the neutrality of the force and make it part of the conflict, which will ultimately go in favor of Israeli occupation.

Here it is necessary to understand that after two years of fighting, the Gaza Strip has almost become ruins — a war that began after Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 — and more than 70,000 Palestinians including thousands of children and women have been martyred, and if countries like Pakistan had also rejected this resolution like Hamas and Israel, then bloodshed in Gaza could have started again. Therefore, Egypt and 8 other countries are active in persuading Hamas to accept it, and Pakistan will also have to support them.

It is also necessary to mention here that by joining the International Stabilization Force and through the presence of Pakistan’s military in Gaza, on one hand, there are clear possibilities that Israeli aggression will stop, because Pakistan has recently demonstrated its military capabilities by defeating, in Battle of Truth (Ma’arka-e-Haq), India — a power many times stronger than itself — while on the other hand, in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, Pakistan’s diplomatic and economic relations will increase, so that the path may be paved for the economic outreach in the region Pakistan has been striving for over many decades.