After UN Vote, Netanyahu Says Trump Plan Can ‘End Hamas Rule’

Jerusalem, 18 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his first public comments Tuesday on the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, praising the initiative as a historic step toward regional stability.

In an English-language post on his official X account, Netanyahu called the plan “a framework that will lead to peace and prosperity because it insists upon full demilitarization, disarmament, and the deradicalization of Gaza.” He added that “true to President Trump’s vision, these steps will lead to further integration of Israel with its neighbors, as well as the expansion of the Abraham Accords.”

The Security Council’s vote, which took place overnight, approved the U.S. plan under Resolution 2803, with 13 countries voting in favor and Russia and China abstaining.

Netanyahu also stressed that Israel expects to receive the remaining deceased hostages “with no delay” and to begin the process of disarming Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the territory. “Israel extends its hand in peace and prosperity to all of our neighbors and calls on them to normalize relations with Israel and join us in expelling Hamas and its supporters from the region,” he said.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected the resolution, claiming it favored Israel and attempted to impose external control over Palestinian governance.

President Trump welcomed the Security Council’s approval, calling it “one of the largest ratifications in the history of the United Nations” and a “moment of true historic proportion.” The plan establishes a Board of Peace, headed by Trump, to provide oversight for a technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, and authorizes the creation of an international stabilization force to oversee borders, security, and demilitarization through 2027.

The resolution recognizes the plan as a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” a clause that drew cautious attention in Israel. At Sunday’s weekly government meeting, Netanyahu sharply rejected renewed international discussion of Palestinian statehood.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to Netanyahu’s statement, noting that the plan represented an Israeli shift. “For years, Netanyahu tried to separate Gaza from Judea and Samaria, strengthening Hamas in the process. This was a strategic mistake, and it is good that the Americans have put an end to it,” Lapid tweeted.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of two Israelis and one Thai national are still held in Gaza.