UN Security Council votes 13-0 to back Trump’s plan for Gaza, creating Board of Peace & stabilization force amid ceasefire. US Catholic bishop hails move for Holy Land peace.
Newsroom (19/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, the United Nations Security Council on November 17 unanimously endorsed a U.S.-backed resolution supporting President Donald Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” authorizing the establishment of a temporary international transitional administration and stabilization force in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favor and none opposed, with Russia and China abstaining. It greenlights Trump’s 20-point proposal, which includes the creation of a “Board of Peace” to oversee governance and an International Stabilization Force to assume security responsibilities as Israeli forces gradually withdraw.
Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace and head of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, welcomed the development in an interview with OSV News.
“I am encouraged by the U.N. Security Council’s approval of the United States’ peace plan to end the devastating war in Gaza,” Bishop Zaidan said. “This gesture sends a powerful message that the international community is serious about peace in the Holy Land.”
The resolution specifies that Israeli military withdrawal will occur progressively as the stabilization force establishes control, though “a security perimeter presence … will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat,” according to a U.N. press release issued November 17.
The Board of Peace is authorized to operate until December 31, 2027, subject to further Council review. The text also emphasizes the immediate resumption of unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza, delivered in cooperation with the board and organizations including the United Nations, while ensuring aid is not diverted by armed groups.
Despite broad support, some Council members voiced reservations that the plan lacks sufficient detail on a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Denmark’s representative described it as “our best opportunity to bring about lasting peace” with an eventual path to Palestinian statehood, while Panama’s delegate cautioned that “the perfect is the enemy of the good,” calling the resolution a vital first step toward solidifying the ceasefire, delivering aid, and rebuilding Gaza.
Bishop Zaidan reiterated the Catholic bishops’ longstanding call for peace in the region. “I reiterate our call for prayers for peace, as well as for a multilateral effort to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza,” he said.
The vote comes weeks after the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted on October 7, 2023, with Hamas-led attacks that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages taken. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has claimed over 69,000 Palestinian lives, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Under the Trump-brokered ceasefire now in effect, Hamas has released remaining living hostages and most bodies of the deceased, while Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
The Security Council’s action marks a rare consensus on Gaza after years of deadlock, providing international legitimacy to the U.S. initiative aimed at demilitarizing the territory, reconstructing infrastructure, and preventing renewed violence. Implementation details, including the composition of the Board of Peace and contributing nations to the stabilization force, are expected in the coming weeks.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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