UN Security Council Adopts Resolution Placing Gaza Under Control of US-Led Board

The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a US-proposed resolution that places Gaza under the control of a US-led body, dubbed the “Board of Peace,” for at least two years and authorizes the deployment of an international force to the Palestinian territory that will operate under the watch of the US military.

The 15-member Security Council passed the resolution with 13 voting in favor and none voting against. Russia and China abstained from voting, choosing not to use their veto power to stop the resolution. Ahead of the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz warned that a vote against the resolution was a “vote to return to war.”

The resolution endorses the 20-point US-Israeli Gaza plan released by the White House on September 29, which it refers to as the “Comprehensive Plan.”

The resolution states that the Security Council welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace, or BoP, which will be headed by President Trump. It describes the BoP as “a transitional administration with international legal personality that will set the framework, and coordinate funding for, the redevelopment of Gaza pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan.”

The UN resolution says that the BoP will remain the authority in Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA) “has satisfactorily completed its reform program,” though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of the PA having a role in Gaza, and whether the PA has “reformed” enough to take over in Gaza would likely be up to the US and Israel.