The United States, along with Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other partners, urged the Council to expedite the adoption of the project, stressing that the plan provides "a practical path toward peace and stability" in Gaza and the region.
The draft resolution extends the ceasefire in place since last October and welcomes the establishment of a "Peace Council" as a transitional governing body for the Gaza Strip, theoretically headed by Trump until the end of 2027. It also grants member states a mandate to form a "temporary international stabilization force" to work with Israel, Egypt, and the newly trained Palestinian police to control the borders and disarm the Strip. The draft also makes an unprecedented reference to the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
These moves come amid Russian competition within the Security Council after Moscow circulated an alternative draft resolution that does not call for the establishment of a peace council or the immediate deployment of an international force, but calls on the UN Secretary-General to present options for implementing the terms of the peace plan and to assess the possibility of deploying a stabilization force in Gaza.
The American text warns that failure to adopt the project will leave Gaza with two options: "continued Hamas rule or a return to war," according to what US Ambassador Mike Waltz wrote.
Despite broad support for the general principles, diplomatic sources reported that the American text still raises questions about the monitoring mechanism, the role of the Palestinian Authority, and the details of the mandate for the Israeli security forces.
In a related development, The New York Times reported on Friday that U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Wittkopf is planning another meeting with Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza, to discuss Trump's peace plan. The move is seen as a sign of the Trump administration's desire to maintain direct communication with the movement despite its designation as a "terrorist organization" in the United States, according to the newspaper.
According to informed sources, the meeting date has not yet been set, and the schedule may change given the sensitivity of the discussions. Wittkopf had previously met with Haniyeh in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the presence of Jared Kushner, before the signing of the last ceasefire agreement. In an interview with "60 Minutes," Wittkopf revealed that he offered his condolences to Haniyeh on the death of his son in an Israeli strike, saying, "We share membership in a very bad club, the club of fathers who have buried their children."