- Context: The adoption of UN Security Council of Resolution 2803, supporting U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to “end” the genocide in Gaza is a violation of the Palestinian’s right to self-determination
- Human rights: Self-determination, encompassing human rights guaranteed under international human rights and domestic mechanisms
- Community impact: UN expert Francesca Albanese warns that the plan of United States fails to address the root cause of the violence: Israel’s unlawful siege, occupation, racial segregation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing
- Rights-holder: Palestinian people
- Duty-bearer: Israel, United States, member-states of United Nations
The United Nation (UN) Security Council’s adoption of United States (US) President Donald Trump’s plan to “end the Gaza conflict” through Resolution 2803 is a “repackaged occupation,” according to solidarity groups and experts.
“Any plan that sidelines Palestinians while empowering Israel and the United States is dead on arrival,” said Dr. Delen dela Paz, president of Philippine-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA). “No other authority can dictate Gaza’s future except the Palestinian people themselves.”
The UNSC-endorsed plan of the United States stipulates that Gaza will be governed by a temporary transitional governance, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body called “Board of Peace” headed and chaired by Trump.
“This body will set the framework and handle the funding for redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program,” the plan reads.
Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, underscores that the Security Council’s decision is not grounded on the body of law it is obliged to uphold: “the law governing the use of force, international humanitarian law, and the UN charter.”
The resolution was adopted on November 17, 2025 with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from Russia and China.
“Rather than charting a pathway toward ending the occupation and ensuring Palestinian protection, the resolution risks entrenching external control over Gaza’s governance, borders, security, and reconstruction. The resolution betrays the people it claims to protect,” Albanese said.
She added that the plan focuses exclusively on disarming Palestinian armed groups while doing nothing to end the root cause of the violence: Israel’s ongoing unlawful siege, occupation, racial segregation and apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.
Israel is the biggest recipient of the United States foreign assistance from 1946 to 2022, according to the US Agency for International Development. Moreover, key findings from international thinktank Cost of War stated that the US government has spent $21.7 billion on military aid to Israel since its relentless bombardment on October 7, 2023.
Dela Paz condemned both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for celebrating the resolution as a “moment of true historic proportion.” “Both leaders, with blood on their hands, present themselves as peacemakers while advancing a war agenda,” Dela Paz said.
Moreover, Albanese also underscored that the UNSC’s endorsement of Trump’s plan leaves Gaza’s situation in the hands of US, which shares complicity in the genocide.
“The ICJ (International Court of Justice) was clear: self-determination is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the UN and all States have an obligation to assist in its realisation. This can only begin with the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. Replacing an abusive trustee with another is not self-determination, it is unlawful,” Albanese added.
Right to self-determination is a collective right guaranteeing their freedom to determine political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development. It is explicitly written in the foundation of the UN charter and various human rights treaties.
The International People’s Tribunal (IPT) for Palestine is being held in Barcelona, Spain, to investigate the war crimes against the Palestinian people. It is organized by the International Peoples’ Front, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), and the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty from November 22 to 23.
The indictment, verdict, and decision will be delivered to the accused/defendants (e.g. US, Israel, and other entities), followed by its submission to international human rights bodies (e.g. UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, International Court of Justice, ICC), courts, governments, parliaments, international organizations, and the media.
The IPT for Palestine recognizes that the Palestinian people’s right to resist is both protected and guaranteed under the right to self-determination in Protocol I, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Algiers.
More than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military since the ceasefire with Hamas took effect on October 10, 2025. In addition to this, at least 67 children in Gaza have been killed in the same duration, according to UNICEF.
“This is an existential moment,” Albanese said. “The international community must not allow Gaza’s future – or the future of the Palestinian people to be decided without their agency and consent. Only an approach rooted in justice, legality, and self-determination can lead to genuine peace.” (RVO)
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