UNITED NATIONS, United States, Nov 14 (AFP): The United States on Thursday called on the UN Security Council to unite and back its draft resolution aimed at bolstering President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, warning that Palestinians could otherwise suffer "grave" consequences.
"Attempts to sow discord now -- when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation -- has grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza," a spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said in a statement.
"The ceasefire is fragile and we urge the Council to unite and move forward to secure the peace that is desperately needed," the spokesperson said, calling it an "historic moment to pave a path towards enduring peace in the Middle East."
Last week, US officials launched negotiations within the Council on a draft that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump's plan.
A third draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027.
It would authorize member states to form a "temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)" that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.
The ISF also would work on the "permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups," protecting civilians and securing humanitarian aid corridors.
Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state.
Once the Palestinian Authority has carried out requested reforms and the rebuilding of Gaza is underway, "the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood," the draft says.
"The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence," it adds.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he was optimistic that the resolution would be adopted.
"I think we're making good progress on the language of the resolution and hopefully we'll have action on it very soon," he told reporters in Canada.
But while it seems that Council members support the creation of a Board of Peace in principle, diplomats told AFP that questions have been raised about the draft.
Those issues include the lack of any mention in the text of a mechanism for oversight from the Security Council, a future role for the Palestinian Authority and details about the ISF's mandate.
However, Palestinian Authority said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed two 15-year-olds in the occupied West Bank, while Israel called them "terrorists" attempting to carry out an attack.
Settler violence has surged in recent weeks across the West Bank, drawing international condemnation and even rare criticism from within the Israeli military and government.
"A short while ago, IDF soldiers who were operating adjacent to the community of Karmei Zur, eliminated two terrorists who were on their way to carry out a terror attack," the military said in a statement, without providing details.
Palestinian authorities also did not provide any details.
The deaths came as Israel said it had received the body of one of the last four hostages held in Gaza from the Red Cross on Thursday as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas.
It later said forensics experts had confirmed the body was that of Meny Godard, killed at age 73 the day of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
On the other hand, the Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry said Israeli settlers set ablaze the Hajja Hamida mosque near the town of Deir Istiya in the north.
"This blatantly violates the sanctity of places of worship and reflects the deep-rooted racism driving settlers under the protection of the occupying government," the ministry said.
AFP photographs from the scene showed burned copies of the Koran and walls blackened by smoke, and graffiti on a wall of the mosque.
The Israeli military said security forces were dispatched to the scene following "a report and footage... regarding suspects who set fire to a mosque and sprayed graffiti".
In a statement, it said that no suspects were identified after a review of the incident, which was handed over to the Israeli police and security agency.
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