Security Council Authorizes Stabilization Force in Gaza, Adopting Resolution 2803 (2025)

17 November 2025

10046th Meeting (PM)

The Security Council today endorsed the United States-backed “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, welcomed its establishment of the Board of Peace and authorized the Board and Member States working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza.

Adopting resolution 2803 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2803(2025)) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation), the Council also authorized the Board and Member States participating therein to enter arrangements necessary to achieve the Comprehensive Plan’s objectives and to establish operational entities to this end.  Such entities will operate under the Board’s transitional authority and oversight.

The Council also underscored the importance of the full resumption of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Board, in a manner consistent with relevant international legal principles, through cooperating organizations — including the United Nations — and ensuring such aid is not diverted by armed groups.

Further, the text states that, as the Force establishes control and stability, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the Gaza Strip based on standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization that will be agreed between specified parties — “save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat”.

Additionally, the Council decided that the Board, along with international civil and security presences authorized by today’s resolution, shall remain authorized until 31 December 2027, subject to further Council action.  The organ also requested the Board to provide it with a written progress report every six months.

Adoption Marks ‘New Course’ for Middle East

Before the vote, the representative of the United States — the author of today’s text — stressed that it is “no mere paper promise, but a lifeline”.  The Force, he said, will deploy under a unified command to secure Gaza’s streets, oversee demilitarization, protect civilians and escort aid through safe corridors — “all while Israel phases out its presence and a vetted Palestinian police force takes on a new role”, he said.  While noting concerns expressed over lack of clarity on certain points, he nevertheless warned against hesitation and emphasized:  “A vote against this resolution is a vote to return to war.”

After it was adopted, he thanked Council members for “joining us in charting a new course in the Middle East for Israelis and Palestinians and all the people of the region alike”.  Stating that the resolution provides troop-contributing countries with a framework to move forward with the International Stabilization Force and global financial institutions with mechanisms to channel investment, he said:   “The former will support a region free from Hamas’ grip, and the latter Gaza’s reconstruction and development.”

Noting public endorsement of today’s text by Arab and Muslim countries, Algeria’s representative expressed support for its core objectives of maintaining the ceasefire and creating conditions for Palestinians to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and Statehood.  Further, he said that the establishment of the Force is a “major development” that will enable the “complete withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces”.  The representative of the United Kingdom also noted the strong international support for the Comprehensive Plan and observed that today’s text “takes that Plan forward”.

The representative of the Republic of Korea, similarly, noted that the Comprehensive Plan is “accepted by the parties” and backed by key regional actors.  While welcoming the resolution’s major elements — the Board, the Force and full resumption of humanitarian aid — he stressed that these must be further developed through close Council engagement.  Today’s adoption, he urged, “is not the end, but a new beginning”.

Concerns over Text’s Ambiguities, Absence of Explicit Two-State Language

More critical was China’s representative, who stressed that the text was “vague and unclear” on critical elements, such as the structure, composition and terms of reference for both the Board and the Force.  “Palestine is barely visible in the draft,” he added, also pointing out that the resolution offers “no effective participation” for the United Nations despite the Organization’s “ample experience” in post-conflict recovery.  He further stressed that the text was “not a product of full consultations” as its penholder “rushed” the Council.  As such, China abstained.

Others also pointed to the text’s lack of detail on several important points.  Slovenia’s representative called for “clear terms of reference” for the Board, stressing the need for “inclusivity, transparency and good faith”.  Somalia’s representative expressed concern over its “limited clarity” regarding the role of the United Nations, as well as that of the Palestinian Authority.  He expressed further concern over the “absence of explicit reference to the two-State solution”, underscoring that a “just and lasting peace can only be achieved by recognizing and upholding” that arrangement.

“The continuing occupation of the Palestinian territory is a violation of international law,” declared the representative of Guyana, underscoring that the two-State solution must “remain the centrepiece of all peace efforts in Palestine”.  She, too, pointed to a lack of clarity regarding the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction, stressing that it must have an “integral” role in these processes — “and that role should not be subject to preconditions that are not measurable”.

France’s representative stressed that implementation of the text should be framed in a “clear political and legal context” that includes the implementation of the two-State solution; the swift return of a reformed, strengthened Palestinian Authority in Gaza with the support of the international community; the exclusion of Hamas from any governance role; and the unity of Gaza and the West Bank.  To that end, “any demographic or territorial change to the enclave or any occupation of Gaza are excluded”, he stressed.

Peace Cannot Be Achieved by Excluding Palestinians

Underscoring that the right to self-determination is “inherent and unconditional” and that “peace cannot be achieved in bypassing the Palestinians”, Pakistan’s representative noted that several important suggestions made by his and other delegations did not appear in the text.  These include a clear political path to Palestinian statehood, an affirmation of the Palestinian Authority’s central role in governance and reconstruction, and clarification regarding the Force’s mandate.  “Those are all crucial aspects with a bearing on the success of this endeavour,” he emphasized.

Stressing the legal weight of Council decisions, the representative of Sierra Leone, Council President for November, spoke in his national capacity to stress that the organ cannot “extinguish, suspend or condition” the Palestinian right to statehood.  This, he said, exists “independently of any peace plan, governance arrangement or reform programme”.  Nevertheless, the representative of Greece said that the Comprehensive Plan opens the path to the “realization” of the two-State solution and Palestinian self-determination.

For her part, the representative of Denmark said that the Comprehensive Plan represents “our best opportunity to bring about lasting peace” in which Palestinians can shape their own future, Gaza is reunited with the West Bank under a reformed Palestinian Authority as part of a two-State solution and Israel is secure from terrorism.  The ceasefire that took effect on 10 October, she added, is “a long-awaited pause that offers renewed hope” for Israelis and Palestinians to begin recovering from the horrors of war.

‘The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good’

At the heart of Panama’s vote in favour of the resolution, said that country’s representative, was the scale of the suffering and devastation faced by Israelis and Palestinians.  As the current situation on the ground demands an urgent response that prioritizes security, integration and civilian protection, he said that today’s text represents a “first necessary step” to consolidate the ceasefire, reinforce vital humanitarian assistance and support international efforts towards reconstruction.  He expressed a sentiment regarding the adopted resolution that was shared by many today: “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”

However, the representative of the Russian Federation — whose delegation abstained — stressed that the resolution “is something we just couldn’t support” as it does not reflect the cornerstone formula of the two-State solution and endows the Force with peace-enforcement tasks.  Stressing that this “could actually transform it into a party to the conflict”, he added that “not a single one of the potential troop-contributing countries agreed to this”.  He underscored:  “The main thing is that this document shouldn’t become a fig leaf for unbridled experiments conducted by the United States and Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

And recalling the Council’s “unfortunate experience of seeing solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — pushed through by the United States — bringing about the opposite result of what was intended”, he concluded:  “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”