At U.N. Security Council, Russia Counters Trump Gaza Plan With Its Own

An effort by the United States to win support from the United Nations Security Council for President Trump’s Gaza peace plan ran into a significant hurdle on Friday, when Russia introduced its own counterresolution, according to three Council diplomats.

The Trump administration wants the Security Council to adopt a U.S. resolution that has the 20-point American plan annexed, effectively making it international law. The American resolution seeks to provide a mandate for an international stabilization force and a governing board. Arab countries, in particular, which are concerned with being seen as occupiers, have called U.N. support necessary for their participation in such a force.

Russia, as one of the five veto-holding powers of the Security Council, could block the U.S. resolution. Its counteraction suggested that the Council could be heading to another showdown and stalemate over Gaza. The 10-point Russian resolution, among other points, calls for Palestinian statehood and does not mention the stabilization forces and the governing structure favored by the United States.

China, another veto-holding power, informed the United States and the Council that its position aligned with Russia’s, according to diplomats who asked not to be named because they were discussing sensitive negotiations.

Anticipating the Russian move, the U.S. mission to the United Nations issued a statement on Thursday saying, “Attempts to sow discord now — when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation — has grave, tangible and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza.”

Tensions have been brewing all week between the United States and the 14 other members of the Council, including European allies and Algeria, the only Arab member, as proposed changes to the U.S. resolution volleyed back and forth in negotiations. The United States had sought to add its entire 20-point plan to the draft U.N. resolution.

Among the major sticking points, according to four diplomats: China said it wanted the entire Trump peace plan removed from the resolution; Russia, Algeria and France, among others, wanted clear language supporting Palestinian statehood; and China, Russia and several European countries asked for clarity on the composition and functions of the governing entity, called the Board of Peace, responsible for carrying out Mr. Trump’s peace plan.

Many members also said the resolution should define the role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s transitional rule.

The United States made minimal changes to its resolution, deferring most of the major questions on statehood and the Palestinian Authority to language in Mr. Trump’s peace plan. In its third revised draft, the United States added that conditions for a “pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” might be possible after the Palestinian Authority completely reformed.

It also included a new mandate for reporting on progress to the Council every six months, according to copies of the revised resolutions seen by The New York Times.

The references to the Board of Peace still remains vague, and a U.S. official said it would not be possible to add details before the resolution was put to a vote. The official, who spoke anonymously in order to discuss sensitive issues, said the United States wanted the vote to take place next week.

“What is confusing the Council members is the U.S. rushing through the text, a nod to the Council but actually cutting them out,” said Richard Gowan, the U.N. director of the International Crisis Group, which works to prevents conflicts.

He added that Russia, China, Algeria and the members of the U.N.’s Arab Group wanted “cast-iron guarantees” that the Council retains authority over the situation in Gaza.

Russia’s counterresolution does not mention the Board of Peace or the stabilization forces, according to a copy seen by The Times. It also welcomes the initiatives in Mr. Trump’s peace plan, asks the U.N. secretary general to identify provisions to carry it out and calls on all parties in the conflict to coordinate with the United Nations and relevant member states for implementation.

On Palestinian statehood, Moscow’s plan goes beyond the American resolution, saying that the Council reiterates “its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side,” and calls for the unity of the West Bank and Gaza.

It remains to be seen whether either of the dueling resolutions would clear the Council or result in vetoes by each side. The Security Council has been deadlocked over Gaza in the past two years, with the United States staunchly supporting Israel. For now, the United States appears to be doubling down, with some significant supporters on its side.

On Friday, it issued a joint statement with some of its key regional allies: Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, along with one member of the Council, Pakistan. The statement expressed support for the American resolution. It said it was a “sincere effort and the plan provides viable path toward peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region.”