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Plans for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to disarm the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing growing resistance after the UAE announced it will not take part due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Increasing International Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a possible contributor, did not attend a planning session in Istanbul and said it would not contribute unless a complete truce was in place.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a clear framework for the stabilisation force and under such circumstances will not participate, but will support all political initiatives towards peace – and stay at the vanguard of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The UAE's announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the terms of a American-proposed document already distributed to delegates at the UN in NYC. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing security in the territory after Israel have withdrawn from the territory.

Arab states would prefer greater responsibilities to be given to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also prohibit foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; without it, the mission could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably stabilising an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Local Perspectives and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to stabilise the illegal Israeli occupation, but to enforce global standards and terminate it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent Palestinian state.”

The draft contains no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israeli leadership rejects.

Continuing Discussions and Potential Dangers

Detailed talks on the stabilisation force authority, including its leadership structure, started formally on Thursday in New York, and appear to be protracted – risking the emergence of a power gap in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it command the force although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the ground. It has already in effect taken control of the distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a new civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Mission Mandate and Governance Role

The proposed American document defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, secure the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the procedure of demilitarising the territory including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of weapons from militant factions”.

The mission, answerable to a “peace council” chaired by the former US president, and not to the United Nations, would be mandated to use “any required actions” to fulfill its goals.

Arab states including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will only do so to local counterparts, likely in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the proposed authority spills into granting the mission a governance role in the territory, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured local government.

Humanitarian Considerations and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the proposal says. It also “emphasizes the significance” of full humanitarian aid in the territory, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

Nonetheless, it opens the door the exclusion of “any group found to have improperly used such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the council excluding the UN relief agency, the body that the international court of justice has said is the lawful provider of assistance.

International Diplomatic Efforts

France and Saudi Arabia are already pressing for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on 18 November, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a mention to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to review the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are given a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a point mostly ignored by the draft text. No details is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, as per the Americans, should be mostly borne by Gulf states, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Developments

Israeli authorities is requesting written guarantees from the US that it be permitted to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to re-enter the territory if it believes disarmament is not taking place at a scale or pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the ceasefire and the envoy was due to arrive subsequently the same day.

Just the remains of a small number of the original hundreds of captives remain not recovered.

Separately, Israel has been suggesting that the territory could still be split in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled parts of the strip. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.