U.S. Pushes UN to Back Trump’s Gaza Ceasefire Plan as Russia Circulates Rival Draft Highlighting Palestinian Statehood

U.S. pushes for U.N. adoption of Gaza ceasefire plan as Russia offers competing text

The United States intensified efforts on Friday to secure U.N. Security Council endorsement of its Gaza proposal, while Russia circulated a competing draft that removes language on a transitional authority proposed to be led by President Donald Trump and instead asks the U.N. to outline options for an international stabilization force.

The U.S. and eight countries that helped negotiate the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after more than two years of war in Gaza — Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey — urged the 15-member Security Council to "swiftly adopt" the latest American draft. Only one of those eight backers, Pakistan, holds a current seat on the Council.

A U.N. diplomat briefed on the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington revised its text this week in response to objections and added clearer language on Palestinian self-determination. Both the revised U.S. draft and the Russian text are expected to be put to a vote early next week, the diplomat said.

Supporters hailed the initiative: Senator Marco Rubio, a prominent Trump ally, called the plan "the best path to peace in the Middle East" and said the U.S. resolution would allow the effort to move forward.

The American draft endorses President Trump's 20-point ceasefire proposal, which envisions a yet-to-be-established "Board of Peace" as a transitional authority to be headed by Trump. It would also authorize an international stabilization force in Gaza with a broad mandate — from overseeing border controls to providing security and supporting demilitarization. Several Arab and other countries that have signaled interest in contributing troops say such an expansive mandate is a prerequisite to their participation.

After objections that the original text lacked explicit recognition of a future independent Palestinian state, the U.S. revised its language to state that once reforms to the Palestinian Authority are "faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood."

Russia’s rival draft, obtained by The Associated Press, contains firmer language endorsing Palestinian statehood alongside Israel and emphasizes that the West Bank and Gaza should be joined under the Palestinian Authority. Russia’s U.N. mission said it circulated the text because the Security Council "should be given a rightful role and the necessary tools to ensure accountability and control," and because U.S. language did not sufficiently reaffirm the Council's prior decisions — in particular, the two-state solution.

The Russian mission said its draft "does not contradict the American initiative" and praised the mediators — the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey — for securing the ceasefire, facilitating hostage releases and resuming humanitarian access. The U.S. mission warned that "attempts to sow discord" could have "grave, tangible and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza," urging Council unity behind the American text.

Diplomats expect the U.S. resolution could obtain the nine affirmative votes required for adoption, with Russia and China seen as likely to abstain rather than veto. Both drafts will test how the Security Council balances immediate stabilization and humanitarian concerns with long-standing political questions about Palestinian statehood and future governance of Gaza and the West Bank.