UN Security Council Meets Ahead of Trump Gaza Summit/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The U.N. Security Council will hold a high-level meeting on Gaza and the West Bank before President Donald Trump convenes his first Board of Peace session in Washington. Diplomats are navigating overlapping agendas as questions grow about the board’s global ambitions. The discussions come amid a fragile Gaza ceasefire and heightened tensions over Israeli actions in the West Bank.
UN Security Council Gaza Meeting Quick Looks
- High-level Security Council meeting moved up to Wednesday
- Focus on Gaza ceasefire and West Bank developments
- Trump’s Board of Peace convenes in Washington
- Palestinian envoy calls for action against annexation
- Ceasefire has advanced but major challenges remain
- More than 20 nations reportedly joining peace board
Deep Look: UN Security Council Meets Ahead of Trump Gaza Summit
The United Nations Security Council will convene a high-level meeting on Gaza and the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, just hours before President Donald Trump hosts the inaugural session of his newly formed Board of Peace in Washington.
The Security Council session, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved up after Trump announced the timing of the Board of Peace gathering. Diplomats indicated that overlapping schedules would have complicated travel for foreign ministers planning to attend both meetings.
The adjustment underscores growing questions about how Trump’s new initiative will interact with the United Nations’ most powerful body. Some governments have voiced concern that the Board of Peace — initially envisioned as a small leadership group to oversee Trump’s 20-point Gaza reconstruction proposal — could evolve into a rival diplomatic forum seeking to mediate global conflicts.
Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said he expects the international community to act decisively to halt what he described as Israeli efforts to consolidate control in the West Bank.
The Security Council’s monthly Middle East meeting is expected to draw foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, among others. Several Arab and Islamic nations had requested that Gaza and Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank be formally addressed before some leaders travel to Washington.
Tensions surrounding Israel’s policies in the West Bank intensified this week after dozens of diplomats — including representatives from 14 of the 15 Security Council members, excluding the United States — joined Mansour in issuing a statement condemning recent Israeli land regulation measures. The statement, backed by 80 countries and several organizations, called for an immediate reversal and expressed opposition to annexation.
Israel has initiated a land regulation process that officials say strengthens administrative control in the occupied territory. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen described the move as establishing “de facto sovereignty.” Palestinians and human rights groups argue it amounts to unlawful annexation of territory home to roughly 3.4 million Palestinians who seek it as part of a future independent state.
Meanwhile, the Council meeting will also assess the status of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 after more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The United Kingdom, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council, said U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo will brief members. For the first time since the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives are also expected to address the body.
The ceasefire has yielded some progress. Hamas has released all hostages it was holding, and humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza have increased, though U.N. officials say the levels remain insufficient to meet the territory’s needs. A new technocratic committee has been appointed to oversee Gaza’s day-to-day administration.
However, significant hurdles remain. Key unresolved issues include deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza’s infrastructure after extensive destruction.
Trump has said members of the Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction and committed thousands of personnel for stabilization and policing missions. While details remain limited, Indonesia’s military has indicated that up to 8,000 troops could be prepared by the end of June for potential deployment as part of a humanitarian and peacekeeping mission.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed criticism of the Board of Peace’s composition, saying key regional players, including Qatar and Egypt — which maintain communication channels with Hamas — have agreed to participate.
Yet some close U.S. allies, including France and Germany, have not joined the board and have reaffirmed support for the United Nations framework. Their hesitancy comes as the U.N. faces internal reforms and funding constraints, adding another layer of complexity to multilateral diplomacy.
The back-to-back meetings in New York and Washington reflect diverging diplomatic approaches to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Security Council, long a central forum for international peace and security deliberations, is grappling with renewed tensions over West Bank developments and the fragile ceasefire.
At the same time, Trump’s Board of Peace represents a parallel effort that could reshape how negotiations over Gaza’s reconstruction and broader regional stability are conducted.
As foreign ministers shuttle between the United Nations and Washington, the outcome of this week’s discussions may help determine whether these diplomatic tracks converge — or compete — in shaping the future of Gaza and the Palestinian territories.
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