by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The United States on Thursday urged the UN Security Council to support Washington’s draft resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to secure postwar Gaza and guide the territory into a future “free from Hamas.” The measure — a central pillar of President Donald Trump’s broader Middle East peace framework — has been crafted with input from Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The latest draft, obtained by several media outlets, contains a landmark development: for the first time, a UN Security Council text tied to the ISF explicitly references the possibility of a future Palestinian state. According to language seen by The Jerusalem Post, the proposal states that “after the PA reform program 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 draft further promises that “the United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.”
This new clause marks a significant shift in U.S.-led diplomacy, signaling Washington’s attempt to balance Israeli security needs with longstanding international demands for a political horizon for Palestinians.
Major Pushback from Russia, China, and Arab States
Despite this concession, the proposal faces strong resistance — particularly to its creation of a temporary “Board of Peace,” a governing mechanism designed to oversee Gaza’s transition during the multi-year stabilization period. Russia, China, and several Arab nations argue the board lacks transparency, sidelines the Palestinian Authority, and consolidates too much influence under the U.S. and its regional partners.
A revised draft circulated Wednesday maintains the Board of Peace but bolsters language on Palestinian self-determination in an effort to ease concerns. Diplomats say these changes have not closed the “wide gaps” now emerging among major powers following more than two years of conflict.
The U.S. Mission to the UN warned that attempts to stall progress would bring “grave and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza,” emphasizing the necessity of quickly advancing a transition that ensures the territory emerges stable, governed, and free from Hamas.
Russia Introduces Counter-Resolution
In a direct challenge to Washington, Russia submitted its own counter-proposal Thursday, removing disputed provisions and placing tighter oversight under the UN Security Council. Diplomats say the U.S. now faces three potential paths: accept substantial amendments, force a vote that risks a Russian or Chinese veto, or bypass the UN completely by assembling a coalition-of-the-willing to deploy the ISF independently.
Statehood Language, Israeli Withdrawal, and Hamas Demilitarization
The draft’s new reference to Palestinian statehood comes alongside provisions outlining Israel’s eventual withdrawal from Gaza. The U.S. proposal says the pullout will occur as the ISF establishes security and stability, with timelines tied to verifiable milestones in Hamas’s demilitarization — a requirement Hamas continues to reject publicly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains firmly opposed to Palestinian statehood and to returning the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza, placing Israel at odds with key elements of the revised U.S. proposal.
Concerns Over the ISF’s Role and Mandate
No country has yet formally committed troops to the ISF. Nations considering participation worry the force may eventually be tasked with combat operations to enforce a Gaza free from Hamas. Washington insists the ISF is not meant to be a fighting force, though U.S. officials claim Hamas privately agreed to disarm during meetings with Trump’s team — a claim Hamas denies.
Rubio: Momentum Must Not Be Lost
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a G7 summit in Canada that negotiations are making progress. He emphasized the importance of acting quickly so that Gaza can transition to stable local governance and repel any return of Hamas rule.
“The Israelis don’t want to govern Gaza, we don’t want to govern Gaza, and no country in the Middle East wants to govern Gaza,” Rubio said. “But until a capable authority is built, someone must provide security.”
Rubio added that the ISF is the only credible bridge to a peaceful and rebuilt Gaza — one he said must be secured so the territory can finally move toward a future that is stable, prosperous, and free from Hamas.
Prophetic Concerns Raised
The resolution has sparked deep concern among biblical prophecy teachers and evangelical Christian leaders who view the proposed division of land through the lens of Joel 3:2, which states: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
Several prominent prophecy scholars have issued warnings that any international effort to partition what they consider covenant land — territory biblically promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — carries profound spiritual implications.
“While the land is covenanted with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — it does not mean that God doesn’t have a part to play with the Sons of Ishmael,” noted George Whitten, founder of Worthy Ministries, offering a nuanced perspective on the theological complexities surrounding the Middle East conflict.
Whitten explained that Islam, in its current form, is hindering the very blessings that God promised to Abraham’s son Ishmael in Genesis 17:20, where God made an explicit covenant declaration: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
“God’s promise to Ishmael was remarkably specific and generous,” Whitten noted. “The twelve princes mentioned in Genesis 25:12-16 — Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Keduemah — became the patriarchs of the Arab peoples. This was a divine blessing of multiplication, prosperity, and influence that God Himself initiated out of His compassion for Hagar and her son.”
However, Whitten argues that this divine promise now stands in significant tension with certain Islamic theological positions that he believes contradict the Abrahamic blessing principle found in Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.”
“The challenge we face is that traditional Islamic teaching includes antagonism toward both Christians and Jews, which places adherents in direct conflict with God’s blessing principle,” Whitten observed. “When a religious system teaches its followers to curse those whom God has called to bless, it creates a spiritual barrier to receiving the fullness of what God intended for Ishmael’s descendants.”
However, Whitten emphasized that this theological tension doesn’t absolve believers from their responsibility to pursue peace. “As ministers of reconciliation, called according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, we see the urgent need to bring genuine, lasting peace to the Middle East,” he stated. “But we must be clear-eyed about the reality: this can only be accomplished through the Prince of Peace, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) — not through political resolutions, international agreements, or land divisions imposed by secular authorities.”
Whitten concluded that while diplomatic efforts have their place, true and sustainable peace in the region requires a spiritual transformation that honors God’s covenant promises while extending grace and the gospel message to all peoples, including the descendants of Ishmael.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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