The Trump administration's triumph at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), when Resolution 2803, on Nov. 17, 2025 regarding Gaza was adopted, has reset the table.

The overwhelming vote in favor, of 13 to 0, including Arab and Muslim countries (and supported by a host of others, as well), was an outstanding achievement. None of the 15 members of the UNSC voted against and only two abstained (Russia and China).

The resolution is noteworthy not only because of what it says; but also because of what it doesn't say. Thus, it fully endorses the 20-point Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict of Sept. 29, 2025 (plan), which is annexed to the resolution.

The plan, negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and his team, had sign-on from the parties, as well as the surrounding and other countries.

The plan also references the Trump peace plan of 2020, which, among things, requires complete demilitarization of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and expressly provides that borders will not be the pre-1967 ceasefire lines.

It also explicitly disclaims that any part of Israel's capital Jerusalem would become the PA's capital.

The board of Peace (board) to be established under the Plan is recognized as the international legal governing authority of Gaza.

The board is vested with authority to establish its own international legal operational entities to perform its functions, including the governance, day-to-day administration and operations of Gaza, as well as implementation of the plan.

Implicitly excluded form these functions is the UN and its agencies, like UNRWA, as well as the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas or any other actors.

The board is also authorized to establish an International Stabilization Force, under a unified command acceptable to the Board and in close cooperation with Egypt and Israel.

The concept is to assure demilitarization of Gaza.

This includes the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror and non-state armed groups and such additional tasks as may be necessary in support of the plan.

Under the plan, Hamas and other factions are not to have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly or in any form.

All military, terror and offensive infrastructure, including, tunnels and weapon production facilities are to be destroyed and not rebuilt.

A guarantee is to be provided by regional partners to ensure Hamas and the factions comply with the foregoing and that Gaza poses no threat to its neighbors or its people.

The PA has no role in this effort.

It must first complete its reform program as outlined in the plan. Indeed, only once the Gaza re-development advances under the plan and after the PA reform program is faithfully carried out, may the conditions finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

Under the plan, the U.S. is to establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

The resolution effectively negates any recognition of a Palestinian state at the present time or otherwise outside of the terms of the Resolution.

This includes the misguided efforts to recognize the PA as a state, by the United Kingdom (UK) and France, as well as other UN members, such as Canada and Australia; all of whom are bound by the resolution.

Interestingly, there is no explicit legal obligation to create a Palestinian state under the resolution; it merely recites the threshold conditions that must be satisfied in order to have a pathway for self-determination and statehood.

The resolution also does not recognize that there is or ever was any so-called "occupation," "right of return," "genocide," "starvation," "apartheid," or "justifiable resistance."

Indeed, the resolution explicitly notes that Gaza threatens the security of neighboring states. It can well be asserted that all the libels against Israel relating to Gaza and the Palestinians have effectively been debunked as a matter of International Law by the Resolution.

The resolution is effectively a restatement of International Law that exonerates Israel and casts Hamas and its cohorts as the wrongdoers.

Hamas has been defeated militarily and politically.

The Board and ISF have the clean-up job, with Israel there on-site until the job is fully completed. Thereafter, Israel is entitled to remain with a security perimeter presence until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.

Israel fought a just defensive war against belligerent, vicious, murderous and terrorist Hamas and its cohorts.

The UNSC and those supporting the plan recognize this and, by virtue thereof, the resolution is designed to eliminate Hamas and its cohorts, as the wrongdoers, from having any role in the governance of Gaza, as well as to destroy their capacity to do any more harm to Israel and the neighboring countries.

Leonard Grunstein, a retired attorney and banker, founded and served as Chairman of Metropolitan National Bank and then Israel Discount Bank of NY. He also founded Project Ezrah and serves on the Board of Revel at Yeshiva University and the AIPAC National Council. He has published articles in the Banking Law Journal, Real Estate Finance Journal, and other publications. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.