As the dust settles on Monday’s “historic” UN vote, the final verdict appears to be a confirmation of deadlock rather than a breakthrough for peace. The US-drafted resolution on Gaza passed the Security Council, but it failed the test of acceptance by the parties to the conflict. The plan, based on President Trump’s 20-point strategy, has been categorically rejected in its parts by the very people who must implement the whole. Israel has killed the political track by rejecting statehood; Hamas has killed the security track by rejecting disarmament. The result is a resolution that codifies the stalemate.
The diplomatic victory claimed by the US—passing the resolution without a Russian veto—relied on the inclusion of a “pathway to statehood.” This satisfied the Palestinian Authority and the diplomats in New York. But it alienated the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rebuke was a clear signal that Israel will not play along with the UN’s political script. The “pathway” leads nowhere without Israeli cooperation.
Simultaneously, the “International Stabilization Force” authorized to disarm Gaza faces a brick wall of resistance. Hamas’s vow that it “will not disarm” and its rejection of “international guardianship” ensures that the force cannot operate as peacekeepers. They would be combatants in a renewed war. The “stabilization” mandate is thus a mandate for continued conflict.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz and President Trump remain optimistic, speaking of dismantling grips and building prosperity. They view the resolution as a legal tool to reshape the environment. The “Board of Peace” is their vehicle for this change. But a board cannot rebuild a state that is not allowed to exist, nor can it secure a region where the militants refuse to lay down arms.
The abstentions of Russia and China serve as the final seal on this deadlock. By refusing to endorse the plan, they have highlighted its lack of genuine consensus. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya’s warning about ceding “complete control” to the US is a recognition that the US is now the sole owner of this deadlock. The UN vote has changed the legal landscape, but it has confirmed that the political and military deadlock in Gaza remains as impenetrable as ever.