The United States circulated a second revision of its draft resolution on Gaza at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, even as Russia countered with its own text calling for the preservation of the current ceasefire and a renewed commitment to a two-state solution.
Senior UN diplomats told Dawn that Washington placed “Revision 2” of its draft under a silence procedure until 6:30pm New York time on November 13, a step intended to indicate that the negotiation phase was nearly complete. Under this procedure, the absence of objections signifies consent.
“But China and Russia broke the silence,” one diplomat said, noting that both delegations submitted formal objections shortly before the deadline. “Once silence is broken, other member states may also submit comments — and some did — although Pakistan did not,“ the diplomat added.
Following the break, Russia swiftly distributed its own draft resolution to UNSC members.
Breaking silence means, the US may now be forced to resume negotiations. Washington may still put its draft “in blue”, the final pre-vote format, but doing so without addressing the concerns of permanent members would almost certainly trigger a veto.
Diplomats said another negotiation round is now expected before any vote is scheduled.
The latest US revision builds on Trump’s broader post-conflict Gaza plan, which includes the creation of a foreign-administered “Board of Peace” to manage Gaza during a transitional period. The plan also proposes the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to disarm armed groups and secure the territory.
The plan places Gaza under a multilateral but foreign-led body while Palestinian institutions undergo reforms. Several countries have expressed reservations about this model, prompting Washington to refine the language in its second revision.
One of the most significant additions in the revised draft is the explicit call to maintain the Gaza ceasefire, a concession made after weeks of discussions with Arab, Muslim and European delegations.
The US also expanded the section on Palestinian statehood. The new language in Operative Paragraph 2 (OP2) states: “After the Palestinian Authority reform programme is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The paragraph then commits Washington to political engagement, saying: “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.”
This wording aims to reassure delegates that Palestinian statehood will not be indefinitely delayed, but will depend on concrete progress in governance and reconstruction.
Another change specifically clarifies that the Board of Peace’s authority is strictly “transitional”, addressing concerns from several UNSC members that the board might evolve into a long-term trusteeship.
Crucially, diplomats noted that the revised draft also specifies the conditions for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The revised language states that Israel will withdraw “as the ISF establishes control and stability”.
By linking withdrawal to ISF deployment and consolidation, the US draft outlines a phased exit rather than an immediate pullout, something that has drawn objections from Moscow and Beijing.
Russia’s counter-resolution
In response to the US initiative, Russia circulated its own draft resolution on Thursday evening. Moscow’s proposal centres on preserving the ceasefire, guaranteeing humanitarian access, and reaffirming the two-state solution without introducing foreign transitional authorities or an externally imposed governance structure.
The Russian draft cites the UN Charter and recalls “all its relevant resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”, as well as a UN General Assembly resolution on the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
It “welcomes the initiative that led to the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip”, referring to the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict of September 29, and calls on all parties — with UN facilitation — to determine practical steps to implement it.
The resolution also “stresses the need to maintain the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that should lead to a comprehensive and permanent cessation of hostilities”, urging all sides to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.
On humanitarian issues, Moscow’s draft “demands full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” for UN agencies and partners, both to expand relief operations and to support reconstruction.
The Russian text also takes a firm position against changes to Gaza’s geography, saying: “The Security Council rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of the Gaza Strip.”
On the political framework, the resolution “reiterates its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution”, and stresses the importance of “the unity and the territorial contiguity of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority”.
It concludes with the standard clause that the UNSC “decides to remain actively seized of the matter”.
With silence broken on the US draft, Washington is now preparing for another round of consultations. Senior diplomats say the two competing drafts reflect “a deeper divide over who should shape Gaza’s post-war administration — and on what timeline Palestinian statehood should become actionable”.
Both texts emphasise the ceasefire and humanitarian access, but differ sharply on governance, security arrangements, and the nature of international involvement. The US plan proposes transitional foreign supervision and conditional political progress, while the Russian draft anchors itself in existing UN frameworks and rejects foreign administrative bodies.
Diplomats in New York expect “intense, possibly prolonged” negotiations before the Security Council takes action on either draft.
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