Israel is pressuring the United States to dilute references to Palestinian self-determination and statehood in a draft UN Security Council resolution that Washington plans to put to a vote on Monday, Israeli media reported, in a last-minute push to strip the text of language long opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said aides to Netanyahu and senior Foreign Ministry officials have been engaged in intensive discussions with the team of US President Donald Trump, as well as with Arab governments, in an effort to soften or remove wording that mentions “self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
The American-drafted resolution endorses the deployment of a multinational force in Gaza under the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has held since October 10.
It also states that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” contingent on reforms within the Palestinian Authority.
“The draft is dangerous”
For Netanyahu’s government — which openly rejects Palestinian statehood — the inclusion of such language is viewed as a serious political challenge, even though Israeli officials argue privately that the Palestinian Authority is unlikely to meet Washington’s reform requirements.
Despite this, KAN reported, senior Israeli figures describe the draft as “dangerous” and warn it could create diplomatic momentum toward outcomes Israel has long opposed.
The broadcaster did not specify what wording Israel is seeking to replace or remove.
According to the draft, the multinational force would coordinate with Israel and Egypt to stabilise post-war Gaza, oversee the transition away from Hamas rule, and facilitate the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The plan envisions a restructured and trained Palestinian police force taking responsibility for border and internal security.
Israeli leaders oppose the establishment of a State of Palestine
Israeli opposition to any pathway toward Palestinian statehood sharpened on Sunday, as Defence Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar joined far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in rejecting the concept outright.
Netanyahu reiterated his stance hours before the scheduled Security Council vote.
“My opposition to the establishment of a State of Palestine has not changed. It stands and remains,” he said at a Cabinet meeting, vowing that Gaza would be “demilitarized” and Hamas “dismantled.”
“I have confronted these attempts for many years,” he added, referencing what he called “pressure from outside and from within.”
Growing recognition of Palestine
The diplomatic clash comes as broader international support for Palestinian statehood continues to grow.
At UN meetings in September, several countries recognised Palestine, bringing the total to 160 of the UN’s 193 member states, according to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
Israel has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians in Gaza — mostly women and children — since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities, in a military campaign that has devastated the territory.
Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land captured in 1967, as well as territory in Syria and Lebanon, and remains opposed to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
