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SvennoJ on 17 November 2025
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Russia says stabilisation force ‘reminiscent of colonial practices’

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, has explained why his country abstained from the vote on the US resolution, expressing concerns about how it sidelines Palestinian participation and accusing the US of not acting in “good faith” to get it passed.

“The main thing is that this document shouldn’t become a fig leaf for unbridled experiments conducted by the US in Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Nebenzia said.

Nebenzia expressed concern that the resolution didn’t include information about how the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) would work together with the Palestinian Authority.

Under the resolution adopted, Nebenzia said, the force “would appear to be able to act absolutely autonomously without any regard for the position nor the opinion of Ramallah”.

“This may entrench the separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank. It is reminiscent of colonial practices and the League of Nations British Mandate for Palestine when the opinion of Palestinians themselves was not taken into account,” the Russian envoy told the council.

He also expressed concerns that questions remain about the force’s mandate under Trump’s plan, including whether its “peace enforcement tasks” could “actually transform it into a party to the conflict going beyond the confines of peacekeeping”.


China says lack of detail in resolution ‘deeply worrisome’

China, which abstained from the vote on the US resolution, has expressed concern over a lack of details in the document, including on the role of Palestinians.

China’s envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, said the resolution “doesn’t demonstrate the fundamental principle of Palestinians governing Palestine”. “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not to anyone else,” he said.

Fu said the US should have provided more information on both the International Stabilization Force and the Board of Peace created by the resolution. “It should have explained in detail their structure, composition, terms of reference and criteria of preparation,” he said.

Fu also expressed concern that the resolution didn’t “ensure effective participation of the UN and its Security Council”. The resolution authorises the Board of Peace, which will be led by Trump, “to assume full responsibility for the civil and security arrangements in Gaza, but it stipulates no oversight or review mechanism beyond the annual written reports”, he said.

What is the Board of Peace?

As we’ve been reporting, the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution that endorses the establishment of a Board of Peace as a “transitional administration” in Gaza.

Here’s what to know:

  • The resolution says the Board of Peace will coordinate reconstruction efforts in Gaza and will also establish the temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for the territory.
  • Trump, in a social media post after the vote, said he will be the chairman of the board and it will include “the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World”.
  • He added that announcements about the members of the board will be “made in the coming weeks”.
  • According to the resolution, the authorisation for the board and force expires at the end of 2027.


Ex-UN official slams Security Council for adopting ‘this US-Israel colonial outrage’

Craig Mokhiber, a former senior UN human rights official, has described today’s vote as a “day of shame for the United Nations”.

“Not a single member of the Council had the courage, principle, or respect for international law to vote against this US-Israel colonial outrage,” Mokhiber said in a post on X.

“This proposal has been rejected by Palestinian civil society and factions, and defenders of human rights and international law everywhere,” he said, adding that the “struggle for Palestinian freedom will continue”.

Mokhiber was the former director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and left his post in 2023 in protest over the UN’s failure to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza.