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Plans for an international stabilisation force authorized by the UN to disarm Hamas in Gaza are facing growing resistance after the United Arab Emirates stated it would not take part due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Growing International Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkish involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian troops will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously mooted as a possible participant, was absent from a planning meeting in Turkey and indicated it would not take part unless a full ceasefire was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stabilisation force and under such circumstances will not participate, but will support all political efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Skepticism and Legal Issues

The Emirati decision, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, reflects regional reservations about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution previously distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the principal means of imposing security in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Arab states would like greater responsibilities to be assigned to a separate Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also forbid foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful presence.

Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to stabilise the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined objective to end the presence within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the occupied territories in the American proposal, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Potential Dangers

In-depth negotiations on the mission mandate, including its command and control, began officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a vacuum in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

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

Force Objectives and Administrative Function

The proposed American document defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and vetted police force to help secure border areas, stabilise the security environment in the region by ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of arms from militant factions”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” chaired by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its objectives.

Arab states including Qatar are also worried that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the faction will only do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the militant viewpoint, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the proposed authority extends to granting the stabilisation force a governance function in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the proposal states. It also “emphasizes the significance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

Nonetheless, it allows for the removal of “any group determined to have misused such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the board of peace excluding the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of assistance.

International Diplomatic Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a reference to a Palestinian state to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has stated that a mention to a Palestinian state is a requirement.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday to review the PA role.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are given a oversight role over the mission, supervising the implementation of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is specified about the financing of this stabilisation mission, which, as per the US officials, should be mostly borne by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the US that it be permitted to follow the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to re-enter Gaza if it believes demilitarization is not occurring at a scale or speed it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss developments on the ceasefire and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive later the same day.

Just the bodies of four of the initial hundreds of captives are still not recovered.

Independently, Israel has been suggesting that the territory could yet be divided in two parts with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled parts of the region. International officials insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.