Trump celebrates UN resolution approving his Gaza ceasefire plan

President Donald Trump scored a monumental victory on Monday, when the UN Security Council voted in favor of his 20-point plan for peace in Gaza - which could see troops deployed to the war-torn area.

The plan, which also creates a path for a future Palestinian state, passed the UN on Monday with 13 votes of support. Only Russia and China abstained, and no nation used its veto power. 

Its passage came just weeks after Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Egypt to iron out the peace deal with Hamas and Qatari officials. 

Following Trump's victory on Monday night, the US president took to his Truth Social page, saying the vote 'will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World and is a moment of true Historic proportion.'

'Congratulations to the World on the incredible Vote of the United Nations Security Council, just moments ago, acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me and include the most powerful and respected leaders throughout the World,' he wrote.

Trump added that 'the members of the Board and many more exciting announcements will be made in the coming weeks.' 

US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz also praised the resolution on Monday as 'another significant step that will enable Gaza to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security.'

The text, which was revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, 'endorses' the US president's plan, which allowed for a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to take hold on October 10 in the war-wracked Palestinian territory.

It was finally adopted Monday evening after Waltz pushed his colleagues to vote in favor of the measure, which he called a 'bold, pragmatic blueprint' for peace, Fox News reports.

He described Gaza as 'a hell on Earth' after two years of war, saying the resolution offered the world a chance to replace 'rubble where schools once stood' with a 'path to peace'.

'Voting "yes" today isn't just endorsing a plan,' Waltz said. 'It's affirming our shared humanity.

'A vote against this resolution is a vote to return to war.' 

Waltz also credited Kushner and Witkoff for brokering the historic deal, which he said has already produced 'tangible results' including a lasting ceasefire and the release of 45 hostages by Hamas - despite repeated Israeli strikes on Gaza and outbreaks of violence in the West Bank.

The US will now work to ensure the remaining hostages are returned to Israel, Waltz vowed.

He also argued that Trump's plan 'charts a path for Palestinian self-determination after the Palestinian Authority completes key reforms.

'It dismantles Hamas's grip and ensures Gaza rises free from terror's shadow - prosperous and secure,' he said. 

Under Trump's peace plan, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) would be created that would work with Israel and Egypt as well as newly-trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The ISF is mandated to work on the 'permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups,' protecting civilians and securing humanitarian aid corridors.

Trump's plan also authorizes the formation of a 'Board of Peace,' a transitional governing body for Gaza - which Trump would theoretically chair - with a mandate running until the end of 2027.

'The path to prosperity requires security first,' Waltz explained. 'Security is the oxygen that governance and development need to live and thrive.' 

The resolution even mentions a possible future Palestinian state.

Once the Palestinian Authority has carried out requested reforms and the rebuilding of Gaza is underway, 'the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,' the draft says.

But Security Council member countries including France, Slovenia, Guyana, Pakistan and Somalia originally had issues with the resolution's vague language on Palestinian statehood, The New York Times reports. 

They finally agreed to the measure after being pressured to vote in favor of it by a number of Arab and Muslim countries - including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Explaining their decision on Monday, those member countries said they endorsed the resolution to support the political momentum for a Palestinian state, prevent the resurgence of violence and allow humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Still, they reiterated that the territorial integrity of Gaza must remain intact and lasting peace must be rooted in a two-state solution. 

'Genuine peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without justice - justice for the Palestinian people, who have waited for decades for the creation of their independent state,' said Algeria's ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama - the only Arab member on the Security Council. 

The UK government added that it 'will continue to work with the US and all our partners to implement this resolution and to map a credible pathway to a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike, based on a two-state solution.

Yet Israeli officials have firmly objected to a new Palestinian country, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday declaring 'our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed.' 

The peace deal faces other hurdles as well, including how to confront the remaining Hamas terrorists in Gaza, which Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Dannon said is a critical part of the plan.

'Just as we are determined to bring all the hostages home, we will demonstrate the same determination in ensuring that Hamas is disarmed,' he said.

'We will not stop or let up until Hamas no longer presents a threat to the State of Israel.' 

However, the Arab and Muslim countries that are expected to send troops to the area - including Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates - have been wary about their soldiers engaging in armed clashes with Palestinian militants and that any further bloodshed may turn Arab public opinion against their involvement.

They even requested that the Trump administration get the resolution approved by the UN Security Council so that their troops would not be viewed as occupiers.

But veto-wielding Russia circulated a competing draft, saying the US document does not go far enough towards backing the creation of a Palestinian state.

Moscow's text, first reported by AFP, asked the Council to express its 'unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.'

It would not have authorized a Board of Peace or the deployment of an international force for the time being, instead asking UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to offer 'options' on those issues.

But Waltz said ahead of the vote 'delaying will cost lives,' adding that 'everyday without this force, aid trucks lie idle, children starve and extremists re-group.'

'President Trump's historic 20-point plan marks the beginning of a strong, stable and prosperous region,' the UN ambassador said.

'Under President Trump's bold leadership, the United States will continue to deliver results alongside our partners to make lasting peace a reality.'