- UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2803 effectively strips Palestinians of their right to self-determination by handing over governance to a de facto foreign-controlled administration.
- UNSC Resolution 2803 equally omits accountability and deprives Palestinians of avenues to seek justice for crimes committed.
- The resolution applies political conditionality exclusively to the Palestinian Authority while placing no obligations on the Israeli government, which continues to act with full impunity.
20 November 2025. In Gaza Palestinians urgently need water, food, functioning hospitals, and other essential services—but they also need justice for the tens of thousands killed, the wounded, the displaced, other grave violations, and the mass destruction and deprivation. UNSC Resolution 2803, adopted by the UN Security Council on 17 November, authorises a foreign-led “stabilisation force” in Gaza and could, in principle, allow aid to reach civilians. Yet only a fraction of the required assistance has been permitted, while atrocities continue to unfold.
Crucially, however, UNSC Resolution 2803 omits international crimes or transitional justice mechanisms. By failing to establish accountability mechanisms for all those crimes and a pathway to democratic governance, the resolution risks creating a de facto occupation that denies the Palestinian people their right to self-determination.
“The people of Gaza cannot survive on aid alone; accountability for crimes committed and a pathway to inclusive governance must be at the heart of any resolution,” said newly elected FIDH President Alexis Deswaef. “Without justice, dignity, and self-determination, there won’t be any chance for a lasting peace in the region.”
Accountability is not an option
By excluding any provisions aimed at ensuring accountability for Israel’s historic crimes and by disregarding the extreme brutality of its genocidal campaign, its settler-colonial apartheid system, and its decades-long unlawful occupation, the resolution effectively normalises these violations. Meanwhile, the United States has sanctioned those seeking justice, including ICC officials, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, and Palestinian human rights organisations.
Political conditionality under Resolution 2803 applies exclusively to the Palestinian Authority, while Israel continues to act with full impunity. Israeli violence persists across the West Bank, particularly during the olive harvest, while Israel continues its annexation. October 2025 was the most violent month in terms of attacks by Israeli settlers since monitoring began in 2006, with a reported average of eight incidents per day.
FIDH calls on the UN and its Member States to:
– ensure full and unhindered access to humanitarian aid;
work towards a solution that is not based on coercion and is in coordination with the Palestinian people, including civil society;
– support mechanisms for accountability and prosecution of international crimes;
– impose obligations on all parties, including Israel, in accordance with international law;
– and protect human rights defenders and organizations documenting violations.
