(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday will start negotiations on a US-drafted resolution to endorse President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, said a senior US government official, and authorise a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body and international stabilisation force.

The US formally circulated the draft resolution to the 15 council members late on Wednesday and said it has regional support.

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"The message is: if the region is with us on this and the region is with us on how this resolution is constructed, then we believe that the council should be as well," the senior US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

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A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States to be adopted. When asked when the draft text could be put to a vote, the official said: "The sooner that we move, the better. We're looking at weeks, not months."

"Russia and China will certainly have their inputs, and we'll take those as they come. But at the end of the day, I do not see those countries standing in the way and blocking what is probably the most promising plan for peace in a generation," the official said.

Trump told reporters later on Thursday that the international force would deploy "very soon." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then noted that the countries volunteering to contribute troops "need this UN mandate in order to be able to do it."

International force would have authority to disarm Hamas

The draft resolution, seen by Reuters, would authorise a Board of Peace transitional governance administration to establish a temporary International Stabilisation Force in Gaza that could "use all necessary measures" to carry out its mandate.

The ISF would be authorised to protect civilians and humanitarian aid operations, work to secure border areas with Israel, Egypt and a "newly trained and vetted Palestinian police force."

The ISF would stabilise security in Gaza by "ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups."

The official said the draft UN resolution gives the ISF authority to disarm Palestinian militants Hamas, but that the US was still expecting Hamas to "live up to its end of the agreement" and give up its weapons.

Hamas has not said whether it will agree to disarm and demilitarise Gaza - something the group has rejected before.

International force likely around 20,000 troops

The senior US official said the ISF was shaping up to be around 20,000 troops.

"We've been in steady contact with the potential troop contributors, and what they need in terms of a mandate, what type of language they need," said the official. "Almost all of the countries are looking to have some type of international mandate. The preferred is UN."

The official said he was unaware if Israel had ruled out any specific countries from contributing troops to the ISF, but added: "We're in constant conversations with them." Israel said last month it would not accept Turkish armed forces in Gaza under the US peace plan.

Israel and Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage release deal. That 20-point plan is annexed to the draft UN Security Council resolution.

"Time is not on our side here. The ceasefire is holding, but it is fragile, and... we cannot get bogged down in wordsmithing in the council. I think this is a real test for the United Nations," the senior US official said.

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