Palestinian Foreign Minister Warsen Aghabekyan Shaheen said today that the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution supporting US President Donald Trump's peace plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip is a necessary first step on the long road to sustainable peace, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
Yesterday, the Security Council approved a draft resolution proposed by the US, which envisages the deployment of a multinational security force in Gaza, as well as the establishment of an international monitoring mechanism on the territory devastated by the two-year conflict between Israel and the radical group “Hamas“.
“The UN resolution is the first step on the long road to peace. "It was necessary because we could not do anything until there was a ceasefire," Shaheen told reporters in Manila during a visit to the Philippines.
She added that key issues remained unresolved, including "the right of self-determination for the Palestinians and the possible independence of Palestine." According to her, the process of implementing Trump's plan must be fully consistent with international law.
Shahin stressed that although Trump's plan allows for the possibility of Palestinian statehood - and only after reforms in the Palestinian Authority - this issue can be discussed at a later stage.
“As long as these principles are in place, we are satisfied with this first step“, she said.
Earlier today, the Palestinian Authority, which is headquartered in Ramallah, welcomed the resolution and expressed its readiness to participate in the implementation of Trump's plan, although the document does not clearly outline the role of the PA and offers ambiguous formulations regarding future statehood.
European and Arab countries stressed that the administration of Gaza should be entrusted to the Palestinian Authority and that a clear path to Palestinian independence is needed. The Israeli government, which opposes the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state, categorically rejects PA participation in the governance of Gaza.