Gaza resolution may be terrible, but the alternative was worse

The UN Security Council on Monday authorized an International Stabilization Force for Gaza by adopting Resolution 2803, which backs the Donald Trump peace plan. This plan has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. Despite its many flaws, however, the UNSC’s approval allows Gaza to move to stage two of the process, something Israel has been adamantly resisting.

The plan has many deficiencies, such as the lack of any reference to a two-state solution or Palestinian self-determination and the absence of any Palestinian agency. Though several countries had reservations about the text of the resolution, it passed with 13 votes in favor and none against, with both the Chinese and the Russians abstaining.

The Chinese representative said the text was “vague and unclear” and that “Palestine is barely visible in the draft.” The Russian representative described the resolution as something “we just couldn’t support.” He said the document could become a “fig leaf for unbridled experiments” by Israel and the US. Both countries were upset they were not consulted and that the UN had become a forum to merely rubber stamp what the US had already decided.

They are right. However, politics is the art of the possible. What else would have been possible in the current circumstances? There was no viable counteroffer on the table that the US would not veto. There was one suggestion by President Gustavo Petro of Colombia to use the so-called Uniting for Peace resolution in the UN General Assembly. However, no resolution was presented at the UN and, more importantly, no superpower to endorse it.

Politics is the art of the possible. What else would have been possible in the current circumstances?

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

Still, assigning an international force is better than leaving a vacuum that Israel can exploit. We have seen how Israel has exploited gangs like the one run by Yasser Abu Shabab to create chaos in Gaza. One must be pragmatic and use whatever is at one’s disposal.

The proposal is indeed vague and unclear. It has no timeline and no benchmarks. Israel will withdraw “based on standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization,” which will be agreed on later. This opaqueness is a deficit. However, this deficit could become an asset for the Palestinians if the countries supporting Palestinian statehood were to properly coordinate their efforts and leverage.

The US is already reportedly considering dropping the clause in the peace plan regarding disarming Hamas. No country involved in the International Stabilization Force would want to take on the task of disarming Hamas. To start with, it would put their soldiers in danger. They would also be viewed as a proxy of Israel, doing through the UN what Tel Aviv was not able to achieve over the course of two years of war. If the US were to drop this demand, it would be a major setback for Israel.

Arab and Islamic countries approved the resolution driven by a sense of urgency. Gazans need immediate help. Aid has to immediately enter the Strip without restrictions. Israel has been blocking the entry of temporary shelters. Amid worsening wintry conditions and stalled humanitarian access due to the Israeli siege, the priority is to make the Strip livable so that Gazans do not leave.

Moving to stage two of the plan is an achievement in itself. Israel was planning to sabotage stage two. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli army would remain in “most” of Gaza even after backing the Trump plan. In fact, this has long been Israel’s strategy. It approves the macro plan but always makes the execution impossible.

Arab and Muslim countries approved Trump’s plan because they want the US on their side and not against them

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

Israel’s plan was to make Gaza unlivable and slowly start to empty the Strip. It has already sent Gazans without papers or any belongings on planes to South Africa. A mysterious nongovernmental organization was organizing the flights. Israel is still in ethnic cleansing mode.

It is time to beat Israel at its own game. Arab and Muslim countries approved Trump’s plan because they want the American administration on their side and not against them. The key goal is to outmaneuver Israel.

The immediate goals for Gaza are for Gazans to stay and to make the Strip livable again, while making sure Israel withdraws to the pre-Oct. 7 borders. None of this could be achieved if Arab and Muslim countries were to confront Trump. Confronting the US, given that there is currently no alternative, would push Washington to Israel’s side. Israel wanted Arab and Muslim countries, particularly the mediators, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, to reject the plan. 

They did not. On the contrary, they are now playing Israel’s game. They are agreeing on the macro and then putting down their own conditions for the execution, such as the fact that the International Stabilization Force will not be mandated to disarm Hamas.

Many pundits have speculated as to what the various countries might have gotten from the US in return for selling out the Palestinians. In fact, there has been no such selling out. This is a pragmatic new approach that focuses on getting the most out of a certain situation.

The key now is to focus on delivering aid, providing a decent living for Gazans and reconstructing the Strip. Of course, one should brace for turbulence. Israel will definitely not accept the situation. It will do everything it can to sabotage the plan. However, Trump has committed himself to peace. He has said the war is over. It will be difficult for Israel to outmaneuver Trump and go back to war.

• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.