UN Endorsement of Trump Plan Sparks Concern in Israel

The U.N. Security Council’s 13-0 vote Monday to endorse a U.S.-drafted resolution on Gaza has sparked sharp criticism from Israeli leaders and analysts, who warn the plan could pave the way for a Palestinian state just miles from Israel’s international airport.

The resolution, based on the Trump administration’s 20-point roadmap, includes a provision calling for a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” This clause, known as point 19 in the proposal, has ignited alarm among Israel’s governing coalition and security thinkers.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the move, blaming what he described as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “silence.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared that his party “will not be part of any government that agrees to a Palestinian state.”

Yet concerns about the plan extend beyond the political right. According to polling by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, between 75% and 80% of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state under current conditions, fearing it would become a launching pad for future attacks on Israel’s heartland.

“We’re facing a religious war a jihad,” said Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center. “Calling this a territorial dispute is a dangerous delusion. Point 19 is Oslo on steroids.”

Diker said that while Netanyahu appears reluctant to oppose the U.S. plan publicly, the decision to bring it before the United Nations was “a major strategic error,” likely encouraged by Arab states hoping to internationalize pressure on Israel. “This only emboldens the isolation of Israel in global forums,” he warned.

Martin Sherman, founder of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies, called the notion of a Palestinian state a “dangerous mirage” and said the Trump plan represents a “grave missed opportunity” by the Israeli government.

Sherman argues that Palestinian leadership is not interested in state-building but in dismantling the Jewish state. “The idea that we are closer to peace now than in 1993 is absurd,” he said. “There’s no real desire for coexistence.”

Sherman advocates for voluntary relocation as a more humane and effective alternative. “Palestinians should be offered generous relocation packages to escape the violence and corruption that dominates their lives,” he said. “The fact that Israel never invested in advancing this idea boggles the mind.”

He added, “A future Palestinian state would be the antithesis of liberal values. It would be a misogynistic, homophobic, authoritarian regime. Why would the West support that?”

Despite criticism, Washington hopes the plan will incentivize Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and provide a framework for Gaza’s long-term stabilization. But in Israel, the plan has reawakened fears that history could repeat itself with devastating consequences.

As the Trump administration presses forward with its peace efforts, the Israeli debate grows louder. Is the “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood a breakthrough or a return to a failed formula?

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