UN Security Council Endorses Gaza Peace Plan as Fragile Middle East Cease-faces Test

On November 17, 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 endorsing a US-proposed plan for the Gaza conflict, authorizing a Peace Council as a transitional administrative body and an International Stability Force for Gaza tasked with securing borders, stabilizing the security environment through demilitarization, protecting civilians, and ensuring humanitarian access. While this marks a technical end to the recent round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the resolution faces deep challenges. It explicitly excludes Hamas from Gaza's governance without a concrete disarmament plan and fails to firmly commit to a two-state solution, marginalizing the Palestinians and risking Gaza's further partition.

Concurrently, the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah remains fragile. Israel has conducted numerous military actions, alleging Hezbollah's attempts to re-establish armed networks in southern Lebanon. The current 'neither-war-nor-peace' stalemate in Gaza and southern Lebanon represents a precarious balance barely accepted by all parties under current realities, posing a severe test for regional stability.