UN Security Council to Vote Monday on U.S.-Drafted Gaza Stabilization Force Resolution as Israel Rejects “Pathway to Palestinian State”
Key Facts
- UN Security Council votes Monday on U.S. plan creating an International Stabilization Force for Gaza.
- Resolution embeds a “pathway to Palestinian statehood,” triggering fierce Israeli opposition.
- Netanyahu: Israel’s rejection of any Palestinian state west of the Jordan River is “unchanged.”
- U.S. warns nations that opposing the plan benefits Hamas or reignites war.
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
NEW YORK / JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. New York time on a U.S.-drafted resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be deployed throughout the Gaza Strip. The draft is identical to the version presented to the Council last Thursday and outlines a multinational force that will secure borders, destroy military infrastructure, and oversee the demilitarization of Gaza. It also provides for the training of a Palestinian police force that will join the multinational force’s operations.
According to the proposal, decisions regarding the ISF’s mission will be made jointly with Egypt and Israel, both members of the force. Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would depend on the ISF’s full deployment across Gaza, except for the perimeter zone where the United States is expected to remain for an extended period.
A controversial clause in the resolution outlines what it calls a “pathway to a Palestinian state.” The text states: “After the PA [Palestinian Authority] reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” It continues by saying: “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.” This language mirrors President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which is attached as an annex to the resolution, but it now appears inside the main body of the proposal itself rather than solely in the annex.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that Israel rejects this element. At the start of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, he stated that “with regard to a Palestinian state, our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory west of the Jordan River remains firm and unchanged.” Netanyahu added that he has been resisting such pressures for decades, explaining, “I have been pushing back against these attempts for decades, doing so against external pressure as well as internal pressure. So I don’t need encouragement, tweets, or lectures from anyone.”
During the cabinet meeting, some ministers criticized Netanyahu for allowing any reference to Palestinian statehood to enter the resolution. “This was never part of the discussion at any stage,” several ministers said. Netanyahu tried to justify the inclusion by arguing that “no country was eager to join the multinational force in the Gaza Strip,” suggesting that the contested clause was necessary to secure international participation.
The backlash intensified on social media. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X: “Two months ago, immediately after several countries announced their unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, you (the Prime Minister) promised to respond decisively as soon as you returned from the United States. The deterioration we are now witnessing is dangerous, and it is your responsibility, caused by your silence. Formulate an appropriate response immediately.” Likud Minister Miki Zohar also issued a statement emphasizing that “a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia is a paramount Israeli interest and will change the future of the Middle East for generations, of course, while preserving Israel’s vital principles and without recognizing a Palestinian state that would endanger our security. Israel as a security powerhouse working alongside the Gulf powers – that is the greatest nightmare of Israel’s enemies.”
The draft resolution not only embeds Trump’s peace framework but also endorses a broader U.S.-designed architecture for Gaza’s future. The latest version authorizes the creation of the International Stabilization Force, which would work with Israel, Egypt, and newly trained Palestinian police to secure border crossings and demilitarize Gaza. It calls for the “permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups,” the protection of civilians, and the securing of humanitarian corridors. It also authorizes the creation of a “Board of Peace,” a transitional governing body for Gaza whose mandate would run through the end of 2027 and which President Donald Trump would theoretically chair.
Unlike earlier drafts, the current version explicitly references a “future Palestinian state,” stating that once the Palestinian Authority completes necessary reforms and reconstruction advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” Israel has firmly rejected this development. “Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed,” Netanyahu said again on Sunday.
Russia, meanwhile, has circulated a rival draft arguing that the U.S. proposal does not go far enough in supporting full recognition of a Palestinian state. Moscow’s draft asks the Council to express its “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution” but stops short of authorizing the ISF or the proposed Board of Peace. Instead, it asks UN Secretary-General António Guterres to provide “options” for those mechanisms. Diplomats expect Russia and China to abstain rather than use their veto, particularly given that the U.S. resolution has the support of several Arab and Muslim-majority nations.
The United States has intensified its diplomatic push in recent days. Ambassador Mike Waltz wrote in The Washington Post that “any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict.” Washington also published a joint statement of support signed by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey.
Inside Israel’s government, rejection of Palestinian statehood remains nearly uniform. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that Israel would “not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel, at point-blank distance from all of its population centers and with topographical control over them.” Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country’s policy is clear: “Israel’s policy is clear: A Palestinian state will not be established.” He added that “Gaza will be demilitarized down to the last tunnel, and Hamas will be disarmed–in the ‘yellow area’ by the IDF, and in ‘old Gaza’ by the international force, or by the IDF.” He also vowed that Israeli troops would remain positioned on Mount Hermon and in the Syrian security zone following the fall of the Assad regime.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that he would not be part of any government that permits the establishment of a Palestinian state in any form. “I call on the prime minister to make clear that the State of Israel will not permit the establishment of a Palestinian state in any form,” he tweeted. Ben-Gvir also wrote that “there is no such thing as a ‘Palestinian people’–it is an invention with no historical, archaeological, or factual basis. A collection of migrants from Arab countries to the Land of Israel does not constitute a people, and they certainly do not deserve a prize for the terror, murder and atrocities they have sown everywhere, especially from Gaza, the place where they were granted self-rule.” He argued that “the only real solution in Gaza is encouraging voluntary emigration, and certainly not a reward state for terror that would serve as a base for continued terrorism.”
Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and others referenced earlier Knesset actions in which Israeli lawmakers voted 99-11 to reject unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood. A majority of 71 Knesset members have supported applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. The Knesset also recently advanced two bills in preliminary reading to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, which now await further committee review.
The Security Council vote is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Monday in New York, with diplomats expecting the U.S. draft to pass despite the tensions it has created in Jerusalem and the competing resolution circulated by Russia.
Prophetic Concerns Raised
The resolution has sparked deep concern among biblical prophecy teachers and evangelical Christian leaders who view the proposed division of land through the lens of Joel 3:2, which states: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
Several prominent prophecy scholars have issued warnings that any international effort to partition what they consider covenant land — territory biblically promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — carries profound spiritual implications.
“While the land is covenanted with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — it does not mean that God doesn’t have a part to play with the Sons of Ishmael,” noted George Whitten, founder of Worthy Ministries, offering a nuanced perspective on the theological complexities surrounding the Middle East conflict.
Whitten explained that Islam, in its current form, is hindering the very blessings that God promised to Abraham’s son Ishmael in Genesis 17:20, where God made an explicit covenant declaration: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
“God’s promise to Ishmael was remarkably specific and generous,” Whitten noted. “The twelve princes mentioned in Genesis 25:12-16 — Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Keduemah — became the patriarchs of the Arab peoples. This was a divine blessing of multiplication, prosperity, and influence that God Himself initiated out of His compassion for Hagar and her son.”
However, Whitten argues that this divine promise now stands in significant tension with certain Islamic theological positions that he believes contradict the Abrahamic blessing principle found in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.”
“The challenge we face is that traditional Islamic teaching includes antagonism toward both Christians and Jews, which places adherents in direct conflict with God’s blessing principle,” Whitten observed. “When a religious system teaches its followers to curse those whom God has called to bless, it creates a spiritual barrier to receiving the fullness of what God intended for Ishmael’s descendants.”
However, Whitten emphasized that this theological tension doesn’t absolve believers from their responsibility to pursue peace. “As ministers of reconciliation, called according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, we see the urgent need to bring genuine, lasting peace to the Middle East,” he stated. “But we must be clear-eyed about the reality: this can only be accomplished through the Prince of Peace, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) — not through political resolutions, international agreements, or land divisions imposed by secular authorities.”
Whitten concluded that while diplomatic efforts have their place, true and sustainable peace in the region requires a spiritual transformation that honors God’s covenant promises while extending grace and the gospel message to all peoples, including the descendants of Ishmael.
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