Trump Team in New Push to Implement Second Phase of Gaza Peace Plan
Nov. 18—The U.S. resolution endorsing the next phases of the Trump Peace Plan, which has already ended the fighting and secured the release of all living and most deceased hostages held by Hamas, as well as thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel, received unanimous support from the UN Security Council last night. The vote was 13-0, with Russia and China abstaining but, by arrangement with the Americans, not vetoing the resolution. It marked the first time in recent years that language referencing a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood passed without veto in the Security Council.
The language about Palestinian statehood was not in the first drafts of the resolution but was inserted with White House approval at the demand of President Donald Trump’s Arab allies in the peace process, who then endorsed the resolution.
From Regional Process to International Endorsement
While important in establishing a new context for peace, the most significant meaning of the resolution was its transformation of the Trump Peace Plan from a regional process into a fully internationally endorsed proposal backed by the United Nations.
The UN is deliberately not given authority over implementation, which will be managed by a yet-to-be-created “Board of Peace” headed by Trump. UN endorsement was said to be a precondition for creating the International Security Force (ISF), which will oversee police functions in Gaza until a Palestinian-run police force can take over. The ISF is also tasked with disarming Hamas, enabling the full withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to the Israeli border perimeter. In the initial phase of the plan, the IDF controlled more than 50% of Gaza.
Ceasefire Stabilization and Netanyahu’s Resistance
The resolution’s passage set Trump’s team in motion to advance the next phase of the plan while stabilizing the ceasefire, which continues despite efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu to undermine it with what many observers believe were staged incidents of claimed Hamas attacks. These incidents prompted Israeli airstrikes that killed Palestinian civilians.
Trump deployed his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Israel to prevent escalation, specifically the potential killing of more than 200 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels the IDF seeks to destroy. Hamas requested that the fighters be allowed to surrender, disarm, and go into exile, but Netanyahu initially refused. After Kushner’s intervention, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed, despite protests from members of his coalition. The fighters remain in the tunnels as the U.S. searches for a country willing to accept them.
Diplomatic Push: Witkoff’s Mission
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Turkey this morning to meet President Erdoğan, who had awaited the UN vote before committing Turkish forces to the ISF. Witkoff will then return to the region for direct talks with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, the first such acknowledged meeting. Sources report Witkoff seeks frank discussion on the exile of Hamas fighters and a binding plan for Hamas disarmament.
“There can be no backing off this,” said a source close to the White House. “Hamas must disarm and agree to it in advance, as it has stated it would before. Otherwise, there will be no ISF, and no country will commit to forcibly disarm Hamas.”
Hamas has argued that armed gangs and clans outnumber its fighters and would attack them if they disarmed. Witkoff is expected to insist that Trump wants these groups disarmed as well, with the ISF handling the issue. The source emphasized that Hamas must remain engaged in the peace process and stop issuing statements attacking Trump and the plan.
Saudi Role and Regional Dynamics
Trump meets this afternoon with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. He is expected to approve the sale of F-35 jets to the kingdom. The two will also discuss Saudi contributions to the Peace Plan, potentially funding the ISF, logistical support, and the creation of a Palestinian police force for Gaza.
Saudi officials told Haaretz earlier this week that normalization of relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords will not occur while Netanyahu remains in power.
Sources in Washington and the region say the coming weeks will determine the plan’s success or failure. Trump has reportedly told Netanyahu that if his current government cannot deliver, a new coalition must be formed. He has suggested Netanyahu discard far-right ministers and create a “Grand Coalition” for peace with the left and center opposition parties.
If Bibi refuses such advice, and his lunatic coalition members continue to provide him with reasons to slow or to abandon the peace process, sources close to the White House say Trump prepared to replace Bibi. "For some reason, Trump actually likes Bibi, but this will not stop him from working to get him out of office," said a source close to the White House. "There are two things to remember here. For Trump, the Gaza Peace process must work. Period. Nothing can get in the way of that. And two, Trump, not Bibi is the most popular political figure in Israel.
Crush the Right-Wing's Wet Dreams of Annexation
Haaretz analyst Amir Tibon noted the resolution’s passage as a turning point, and may force the issue of an end to the coalition, as right-wings wet dreams of annexing the West Bank and parts of Gaza are over:
"As for the passing reference to Palestinian statehood in the UN resolution, it's important to understand how these words made their way into the text, and what their addition tells us about the Trump administration's next steps in the Middle East. This doesn't mean in any way that Trump is now committed to the two-state solution or that his administration will put an end to the despicable violence carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. For Trump, these words are no more than a line he was forced to add to the U.S. resolution in order to ensure the support of his Arab allies. Nothing more, nothing less.
"The reason it still matters is the shift in Trump's approach compared to his own previous plans for Gaza. This is, after all, the U.S. president who just nine months ago spoke about deporting the entire population of Gaza to other countries, taking over the land and turning it into an American-run casino strip. Trump also expressed being open, at the beginning of his second term, to supporting Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
"The fantasies of Ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir and the other fanatics in Netanyahu's coalition have been put to rest, replaced by an international plan that includes Arab forces in Gaza and a 'path to' Palestinian statehood. That by itself is an important development – regardless of what will eventually come out of the entire plan."
Will West Bank Settle Violence Sabotage Peace?
Yet escalating settler violence in the West Bank threatens to derail the plan. Senior Israeli security officials told Haaretz that “no one today [is] dealing with the West Bank,” with commanders fearing retaliation from extremists backed by ministers and Knesset members.
Yaniv Kubovich reported: "'There is no one today dealing with the West Bank,' a security source told Haaretz. 'Everyone understands we are on the verge of an explosion. But no one will stand up and speak…' A senior officer who took part in a major exercise last week with the IDF's West Bank command described the territory as 'the most combustible arena,' even though Israel is currently focused on Gaza and Lebanon. 'We are silent, but one incident could ignite all of Judea and Samaria. The whole IDF would be swallowed up in it,' he said."
Meanwhile, Ben-Gvir's police yesterday arrested dozens of activists from the Jewish-Arab Standing Together movement and Rabbis for Human Rights as they joined Palestinian olive harvesters near Burin. Standing Together said: “Only yesterday a terrible pogrom took place, but as far as the police are concerned, the real threat is those trying to promote Israeli–Palestinian cooperation and assist farmers.”