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Proposals for an multinational stabilisation force mandated by the UN to demilitarize the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing increasing opposition after the United Arab Emirates stated it will not take part due to the absence of a well-defined legal framework.

Growing Global Concerns

Israel have previously excluded Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a potential contributor, was absent from a preparatory session in Turkey and said it would not contribute unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stability mission and in this situation declines involvement, but backs all political efforts towards peace – and remain at the vanguard of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Issues

The Emirati decision, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab reservations about the terms of a US-drafted document already distributed to delegates at the UN in NYC. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the primary means of ensuring security in Gaza after Israel have left the region.

Regional governments would like expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid foreign troops from entering occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit local approval; otherwise, the force could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and potentially reinforcing an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Local Perspectives and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is critical that the mission be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to uphold international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it enters the entire occupied territory, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear objective to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israeli leadership opposes.

Continuing Discussions and Potential Dangers

Detailed talks on the mission mandate, including its leadership structure, started formally on last week 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 suggesting that it command the mission although it will not have many troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively assumed command of the distribution of relief supplies into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Force Mandate and Administrative Function

The draft American document defines the purpose of the security mission as “along with the recently prepared and screened police force to help secure frontier zones, secure the security environment in the region by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the territory including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting decommissioning of arms from militant factions”.

The mission, answerable to a “peace council” chaired by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be mandated to use “any required actions” to fulfill its objectives.

Arab states including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the group will only do so to local counterparts, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, signifies the end of Israeli presence.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into giving the stabilisation force a governance role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “emphasizes the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it opens the door the removal of “any organisation found to have improperly used such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the council barring the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has said is the legal provider of assistance.

International Political Initiatives

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already pressing for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the resolution. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled 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 leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to review the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong UNSC are given a oversight role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a point mostly ignored by the proposed document. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the US that it be allowed 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 pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the ceasefire and the envoy was scheduled to appear subsequently the same day.

Only the bodies of a small number of the initial hundreds of captives remain unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.