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Plans for an international security mission authorized by the UN to demilitarize the militant group in the Gaza Strip are encountering increasing resistance after the UAE stated it would not take part due to the absence of a clear legal framework.

Growing International Concerns

Israel have previously excluded Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that his country's forces will not participate. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a possible contributor, was absent from a planning meeting in Turkey and indicated it would not contribute unless a full truce was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a clear structure for the stability mission and in this situation will not participate, but will support all diplomatic initiatives towards peace – and remain at the forefront of relief efforts.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The UAE's decision, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, highlights regional doubts about the provisions of a US-drafted document previously circulated to delegates at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the principal means of ensuring security in the territory after Israel have withdrawn from the territory.

Regional governments would like greater duties to be assigned to a separate Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit foreign troops from entering contested Palestinian territories unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the mission could be seen as coercive under international statutes, and arguably stabilising an illegal Israeli occupation.

Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to reinforce the illegal presence, but to uphold international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the whole disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a defined objective to conclude the occupation within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israeli leadership rejects.

Continuing Negotiations and Potential Risks

In-depth talks on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, began officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a power gap in the strip that may empower militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it lead the mission although it will not have many personnel involved on the terrain. It has already effectively taken control of the distribution of humanitarian aid into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Role

The draft US resolution outlines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted law enforcement to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and blocking of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of arms from militant factions”.

The force, reporting to a “peace council” led by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to fulfill its goals.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is overly broad, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will only do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, signifies the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the proposed authority spills into granting the mission a governance function in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in cooperation with a reformed local government.

Aid Aspects and Funding Questions

This “interim authority” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the proposal states. It also “underscores the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it opens the door the exclusion of “any group determined to have misused such aid”. The wording leaves open the board of peace barring the UN relief agency, the body that the international court of justice has said is the lawful provider of aid.

Global Diplomatic Initiatives

French officials and Saudi representatives are currently advocating for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the US presidential residence on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has stated that a reference to a Palestinian state is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to discuss the PA role.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are assigned a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the proposal, a point mostly overlooked by the proposed document. Nothing is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israeli Requests and Regional Situations

Israel is requesting formal assurances from the US that it be allowed to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to return to Gaza if it considers demilitarization is not taking place at a scale or pace it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to the former US advisor, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on this week to review developments on the truce and the envoy was due to appear subsequently the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the original 251 Israeli hostages remain not recovered.

Independently, Israel has been proposing that the territory could yet be split in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israel occupied parts of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.