The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution backing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.The text, submitted by the US, would give a mandate for the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and to set up transitional governance there.The US says multiple unnamed countries have offered to contribute to the ISF, though it is unclear whether it would be required to ensure Hamas disarms or function as a peacekeeping force.Its formation is a central plank of Trump’s 20-point plan which last month brought a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in their two-year war.The draft also raises the possibility of a Palestinian state – something Israel strongly opposes.There have been intense negotiations over the draft text of the resolution, with Washington warning that any vote against it could lead to a return to fighting with Israel.As well as authorising an ISF, which it says would work with Israel and Egypt – Gaza’s southern neighbour – the draft also calls for creation of a newly trained Palestinian police in Gaza. Until now, the police there have operated under the authority of Hamas.According to reports on the latest draft, part of the ISF’s role would be to work on the “permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups” – including Hamas – as well as protecting civilians and humanitarian aid routes.This would require Hamas to hand over its weapons – something it is meant to do under Trump’s peace plan. But in a statement published overnight, Hamas called the draft resolution “dangerous” and an “attempt to subject the Gaza Strip to international authority”.It said Palestinian factions rejected any clause relating to the disarmament of Gaza or harming “the Palestinian people’s right to resistance”.The statement also rejected any foreign military prese …
