By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council on Thursday will start negotiations on a U.S.-drafted resolution to endorse President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, said a senior U.S. government official, and authorize a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body and international stabilization force.
The U.S. formally circulated the draft resolution to the 15 council members late on Wednesday and has said it has regional support from Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates for the text.
“The message is: if the region is with us on this and the region is with us on how this resolution is constructed, then we believe that the council should be as well,” the senior U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States to be adopted.
When asked when the draft text could be put to a vote, the official said: “The sooner that we move, the better. We’re looking at weeks, not months.”
“Russia and China will certainly have their inputs, and we’ll take those as they come. But at the end of the day, I do not see those countries standing in the way and blocking what is probably the most promising plan for peace in a generation,” the official said.
INTERNATIONAL FORCE WOULD HAVE AUTHORITY TO DISARM HAMAS
The draft resolution, seen by Reuters, would authorize a Board of Peace transitional governance administration to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza that could “use all necessary measures” – language for force – to carry out its mandate.
The ISF would be authorized to protect civilians and humanitarian aid operations, work to secure border areas with Israel, Egypt and a “newly trained and vetted Palestinian police force.”
The ISF would stabilize security in Gaza by “ensuring the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.”
The official said the draft U.N. resolution gives the ISF authority to disarm Palestinian militants Hamas, but that the U.S. was still expecting Hamas to “live up to its end of the agreement” and give up its weapons.
Hamas has not said whether it will agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza — something the militants have rejected before.
INTERNATIONAL FORCE LIKELY AROUND 20,000 TROOPS
The senior U.S. official said the ISF was shaping up to be around 20,000 troops.
While the Trump administration has ruled out sending U.S. soldiers into the Gaza Strip, it has been speaking to Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute.
“We’ve been in steady contact with the potential troop contributors, and what they need in terms of a mandate, what type of language they need,” said the official. “Almost all of the countries are looking to have some type of international mandate. The preferred is U.N.”
The official said he was unaware if Israel had ruled out any specific countries from contributing troops to the ISF, but added: “We’re in constant conversations with them.” Israel said last month it would not accept Turkish armed forces in Gaza under the U.S. peace plan.
Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage release deal. That 20-point plan is annexed to the draft U.N. Security Council resolution.
“Time is not on our side here. The ceasefire is holding, but it is fragile, and … we cannot get bogged down in wordsmithing in the council. I think this is a real test for the United Nations,” the senior U.S. official said.
(Reporting by Michelle NicholsEditing by Humeyra Pamuk, Rod Nickel)
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