File Photo: The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" at UN headquarters in New York. AFP
Moscow’s draft reaffirms the need to “maintain the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that should lead to a comprehensive and permanent cessation of hostilities,” urging compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. It also “demands full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” for UN agencies and partners to support relief operations and reconstruction.
The Russian draft also cites the UN Charter and recalls “all its relevant resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,” as well as a General Assembly resolution on the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Moscow’s Gaza proposal diverges from a US draft on the post-war governance of Gaza by notably omitting a controversial “Board of Peace,” a transitional governing body for the strip proposed to be chaired by President Trump.
The US draft resolution, formally circulated to the 15 Security Council members last week, proposes a two-year mandate for the "Board of Peace" to govern Gaza until the end of 2027, bypasses the Palestinian Authority, and includes vague language on "Palestinian self-determination."
In contrast, Moscow’s proposal rejects Washington's framework, focusing instead on implementing of existing UN resolutions and international law.
The US draft resolution authorizes the creation of a “temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)” to oversee the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza, protect civilians, and secure humanitarian corridors.
According to the US draft, as the ISF “establishes control and stability,” the Israeli occupation army would begin its withdrawal from Gaza, in accordance with agreed “standards, milestones, and timeframes.”
The US draft resolution also references a potential pathway to Palestinian statehood, contingent on "reforms" by the Palestinian Authority.
In contrast to the American proposals, the Russian draft resolution takes a firm stance against Israeli schemes and changes to Gaza’s territorial integrity.
“The Security Council rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of the Gaza Strip,” reads the Russian draft.
The draft reiterates Russia’s “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution,” stressing “the unity and territorial contiguity of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”
The Russian draft resolution concludes with the standard clause that the UN Security Council “decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”
In a note to Council members seen by Reuters, Russia’s UN mission said its “counter-proposal is inspired by the US draft,” adding that the “objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
Despite the ongoing truce, Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire since it came into effect on 10 October, killing at least 260 Palestinians and injuring over 600. At the same time, it has yet to end its blockade on the famine-hit strip.
Moreover, Israel has entrenched its troops along the "Yellow Line," which marks the line of withdrawal under the first phase of the US plan, and refuses to start negotiations on the second phase of the US-backed agreement.
At the same time, the Israeli government has scaled up its illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and is ratcheting up threats of annexation through the Knesset and provocative statements.
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