UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan joined other key Muslim and Arab states on Friday in expressing support for a US resolution that seeks to deploy an international stabilisation force in Gaza.

In a statement issued at the UN Headquarters, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkiye and the United States expressed their joint support for the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution currently under consideration, drafted by the US after consultation and in cooperation with council members and partners in the region.

“The historic Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, announced on Sept 29, is endorsed by the resolution and was celebrated and endorsed in Sharm Al Sheikh,” it read.

“We are issuing this statement as the member states that gathered during High-Level Week to begin this process, which offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

Joint statement endorses process that offers pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood

“We emphasise that this is a sincere effort, and the Plan provides a viable path towards peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region,” the endorsers said, while expressing the hope for the “resolution’s swift adoption”.

The United States, in an earlier statement, urged the UNSC to formally endorse its draft resolution aimed at strengthening President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, warning that the ceasefire in Gaza remains “fragile”.

Russia’s resolution

The appeal came as Russia introduced its own resolution on Gaza in the 15-member council, directly challenging the US draft. The council’s five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France — retain the power to veto any resolution.

“Attempts to sow discord now — when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation — have grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza,” the US mission to the UN said in a statement.

It added that the ceasefire was fragile and “we urge the Council to unite and move forward to secure the peace that is desperately needed.”

The mission informed council members that in mid-October, the US began drafting a UNSC resolution with input from its partners in Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. “The simple, straightforward point of this resolution is to bring to fruition President Trump’s historic 20-point comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, as supported by over 20 countries in Sharm Al Sheikh on Oct 13, 2025,” the mission added.

It recalled that in the week of Nov 3, the United States began “good-faith negotiations” on this draft in New York, working closely with members of the Security Council and its partners. The purpose of these talks was to “reach consensus on a draft that would stand up the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) and begin a stable, secure, peaceful and prosperous future for Palestinians in Gaza, free of Hamas”, it stated.

‘Two-year mandate’

The mission assured the UNSC that this effort built on President Trump’s widely accepted historic 20-point peace plan endorsed by parties at Sharm al Sheikh. “We urge the Security Council to seize this historic moment to pave a path towards enduring peace in the Middle East by supporting this resolution,” it stated. If adopted, the US resolution would authorise a two-year mandate running until the end of 2027 for a transitional governance body in Gaza — known as the “Board of Peace” — that President Trump would chair. It would also authorise member states to form a temporary ISF tasked with the “permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”, protecting civilians, and securing humanitarian aid corridors in Gaza.

Trump has ruled out sending US troops into Gaza as part of the proposed 20,000-strong force.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2025