ALWAGHT- Netanyahu under fire from far-right ministers after Saudi Arabia demands a “credible path” to Palestinian statehood.
The UN security council is set to vote on a US-drafted resolution creating an international stabilisation force (ISF) for Gaza, a plan partly derived from Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal. The resolution, revised under pressure from Arab states, now contains a tentative reference to a “credible pathway” toward Palestinian statehood. Russia and China have introduced a competing motion, raising the possibility that both proposals could be vetoed by permanent council members.
The US plan, supported in broad outline by Persian Gulf states, France and the UK, would mandate the ISF for two years to secure border areas, protect civilians, maintain aid corridors and oversee the disarmament of non-state armed groups. Arab governments prefer the Russian-Chinese draft in its language on a two-state solution, but many feel compelled to work with the US text because Washington’s endorsement is needed for Israel to accept any stabilisation force. Tensions persist over Trump’s insistence that the force be overseen not by the UN but by a US-chaired “board of peace.”
In Israel, the statehood reference has triggered political turmoil. Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reject any mention of a Palestinian state, warning of potential coalition collapse. Senior officials including Israel’s defence and foreign ministers also voiced opposition to Palestinian statehood, while Netanyahu reaffirmed his long-standing stance against it, arguing it would endanger Israeli security. The political backlash comes amid broader international momentum for Palestinian recognition by countries such as the UK, Australia and Canada.
The US draft envisions Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza once the ISF establishes stability, though the benchmarks for withdrawal remain undefined. A coalition of nine countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, has expressed support for the stabilisation plan, though several Muslim states remain uneasy with Trump’s framework and Israel has vetoed Turkish participation. The ISF—not the Palestinian police—would be responsible for the sensitive task of dismantling Hamas’s weapons, a requirement for Israeli withdrawal, even as concerns grow that the US may soften its disarmament demands given the difficulty of fully neutralising Hamas.
