By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies*
NEW YORK | 21 November 2025 (IDN) — On November 17, 2025, the UN Security Council passed a resolution endorsing President Trump’s plan for Gaza, including a transitional government headed by Trump himself and an International Stabilization Force (ISF). Among its core tasks, the ISF is expected to disarm Hamas—a goal Israel has failed to achieve through two years of genocide and mass destruction.
Under the plan, the ISF would secure Gaza’s borders in a way that confines Palestinians; suppress resistance to “stabilize” the security environment; demilitarize Gaza while leaving the Israeli regime untouched; and train Palestinian police to control the population. While the force is also mandated to protect civilians and assist humanitarian relief, few believe it could restrain Israel—particularly as Israel continues to defy even the current so-called “ceasefire.”
Hamas and other factions in Gaza immediately issued a joint statement unequivocally rejecting Trump’s plan and the Security Council resolution. They warned that it “will turn into a type of imposed guardianship or administration—reproducing a reality that restricts the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to managing their own affairs.”
Regarding the foreign military force, the statement said: “Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation.”
The strongest condemnation was directed at Arab rulers supporting Trump’s plan, calling their endorsement “a form of deep international partnership in the war of extermination waged by the occupation against our people.”
Trump has claimed that all sides agreed to his peace plan. In reality, Hamas only agreed to the first stage: returning the remaining Israeli prisoners in Gaza under a permanent ceasefire and resumption of humanitarian aid—terms Israel has yet to honor.
Hamas has consistently said it has no authority to negotiate over the future government of Palestine, which requires broad participation from groups across Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas says it will disarm only once a fully sovereign Palestinian state is established and will then hand its weapons to the armed forces of that state.
Who Wants to Join Trump’s International Stabilization Force?
In October, several countries told U.S. officials they would consider sending troops to the ISF: Egypt, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Australia, Canada, and Cyprus.
Others refused outright. Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia rejected joining the force. Azerbaijan said it would only participate once all fighting ends. Egypt has oscillated. And as rumors grew that Trump and his “peace board” might direct the ISF to forcibly disarm Hamas, the UAE announced it would not participate at all.
To date, not a single country has formally committed troops.
Israel has further deterred participation by declaring it would veto Turkish involvement and claiming authority to approve or reject any country’s deployment. At the same time, Israel has escalated its ceasefire violations since the Security Council vote—another clear signal that joining the ISF could quickly put foreign soldiers in the crossfire.
Voices From Gaza
Rejection of Trump’s plan is not limited to resistance groups. Gaza residents interviewed by Al Jazeera were equally critical.
“I completely reject this decision,” said Moamen Abdul-Malek. “Our people are able to rule ourselves. We don’t need forces from Arab or foreign countries to rule us. We are the people of this country, and we will bear responsibility for it.”
Mohammed Hamdan said the plan violates Palestinians’ right to armed resistance. “It would strip the resistance of its weapons,” he said, “despite the fact that resistance is a legitimate right of peoples under occupation.”
Sanaa Mahmoud Kaheel said she does not trust Trump, who previously threatened to ethnically cleanse Gaza and build a U.S.–Israeli resort on its ruins. “Things will be unclear with the international forces,” she said. “This could help Trump tighten his grip on Gaza and work towards establishing a ‘riviera’ there, as he himself said. Nothing is guaranteed.”
A Different Path: Accountability, Not Occupation
The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) rejects what it calls the false choice presented by Washington: “either accept their plan with all its flaws and non-guarantees, or accept going back to a live-streamed genocide.”
Instead, PIPD and the global Palestinian solidarity movement advocate an end to Israel’s occupation and the impunity that enables it. PIPD’s Global Accountability Map tracks “concrete and approved actions by governments, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, courts and academia to hold Israeli colonial entities and interests accountable.”
Worldwide support for Palestinian rights is growing. While the U.S. routinely uses its veto to shield Israel in the Security Council, people and governments are advancing accountability through the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The General Assembly requested an ICJ opinion on the legality of the occupation. In 2024, the ICJ ruled that Israel’s occupation is illegal and must end “as rapidly as possible.” In September 2024, the General Assembly demanded Israel end the occupation within one year.
On October 22, 2025, the ICJ issued another ruling requiring Israel to allow all humanitarian aid into Gaza and allow UNRWA to resume its operations without obstruction.
If Israel continues to defy these rulings, the General Assembly should convene an Emergency Special Session to organize a UN-backed arms embargo, trade boycott, and other measures until Israel complies with international law.
Many governments are already reducing trade and military ties with Israel. 157 countries now recognize Palestine as an independent state. Popular movements worldwide are protesting the genocide and occupation and boycotting companies complicit in Israeli crimes.
The pressure is working. If Israel’s genocide were being passively accepted, Trump would not feel compelled to manufacture a “peace plan” to change the narrative. That he needed one at all reflects a shift in global public consciousness.
Who Will Fight for Trump’s Plan?
In the coming days, the world will see whether the governments courting favor with Washington—and hoping to profit from Gaza’s devastation—will actually send their soldiers to fight the Palestinian resistance and help cement Israel’s occupation.
Are they truly prepared to sacrifice their young people’s blood to be mixed with that of innocent Palestinians in Gaza’s rubble?
Or will they instead choose to stand with the people of Gaza and insist that Israel comply with the ICJ, the UN General Assembly, and the demands of international law—by ending its obscene, decades-long occupation of Palestine?
*Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies are the authors of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict(revised 2nd edition).
Medea Benjamin is co-founder of CODEPINK and the author of Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, CODEPINK researcher, and author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. (IDN-InDepthNews)
Image: Landmark illumination in Ashdod in celebration of the implementation of the Trump 21-Point Gaza Peace Plan. Source: Scheerpost