31 h. ago UN plan just ‘first step’ toward peace in Gaza, says Palestinian foreign minister

Varsen Aghabekian Shahin backs resolution, while Hamas rejects idea of international force inside territoryAnalysis: One of the oddest UN resolutions in historyThe Palestinian foreign minister has described the UN security council resolution endorsing Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza as a necessary first step on a long road towards peace, even as Hamas rejected it as a form of international guardianship with which it will not cooperate.Arab state leaders who have reluctantly adopted the plan said the US urgently needed to set out the composition of the proposed Palestinian technocratic committee that is to deliver services inside Gaza, as well as the leadership of the international stabilisation force (ISF), which is supposed to oversee security. Membership of the board of peace, the body that is to oversee the ISF and a Palestinian civilian police force also remains unknown. Continue reading...

Politics

45 h. ago UN security council votes to endorse Donald Trump’s Gaza plan

The resolution, which includes references to an independent Palestine, was passed by a vote of 13-0 with China and Russia abstaining The UN security council has endorsed proposals put forward by Donald Trump for a lasting peace in Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state.The resolution, passed by a vote of 13-0 with abstentions by China and Russia, charted “a new course in the Middle East for Israelis and Palestinians and all the people of the region alike”, the US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, told the council chamber. Continue reading...

Politics

46 h. ago Trump Gaza plan: Hamas rejects resolution for international stabilisation force approved by UN security council

UN body quickly passes resolution that also includes reference to a future Palestinian state; Hamas says the plan favours Israeli occupationThe US is planning for the long-term division of Gaza into a “green zone” under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction would start, and a “red zone” to be left in ruins.Foreign forces will initially deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in the east of Gaza, leaving the devastated strip divided by the current Israeli-controlled “yellow line”, according to US military planning documents seen by the Guardian and sources briefed on American plans. Continue reading...

Politics

47 h. ago UN Security Council approves Trump’s plan authorising a stabilisation force in Gaza

The negotiations lasted nearly two weeks

Politics

9 d. ago UAE says it will not join Gaza stabilisation force without clear legal framework

Move reflects wider regional doubts about terms of US-drafted plan to disarm Hamas Plans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.Israel has already ruled out Turkey joining the force, and King Abdullah of Jordan has said Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a contributor, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey last week and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago UAE refuses to join Gaza stabilisation force without clear legal framework

Decision reflects wider regional doubts about terms of US-drafted plan to disarm HamasPlans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.Israel has already ruled out Turkey joining the force, and King Abdullah of Jordan has said Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a contributor, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey last week and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago UN approves resolution supporting Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara

Move is strongest endorsement yet for retained rule over disputed territory, despite fierce opposition from AlgeriaThe UN security council has approved a US-backed resolution supporting Morocco’s claim to the disputed Western Sahara, despite fierce opposition from Algeria.Although Friday’s vote was divided, the resolution offers the strongest endorsement yet for Morocco’s plan to keep sovereignty over the territory, which also has backing from most European Union members and a growing number of African allies. Continue reading...

Politics