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Plans for an international security mission authorized by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are encountering increasing resistance after the United Arab Emirates stated it will not join due to the absence of a clear legal framework.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a potential participant, did not attend a preparatory session in Istanbul and said it would not contribute unless a complete truce was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a defined framework for the stabilisation mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but will support all diplomatic efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of relief efforts.

Regional Skepticism and Juridical Issues

The Emirati announcement, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, highlights regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted document previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing order in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would like expanded duties to be given to a separate Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid foreign troops from deploying into contested Palestine unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; otherwise, the mission could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold international law and end it. The force will work as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear objective to end the occupation within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

There is no reference to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership rejects.

Ongoing Negotiations and Potential Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the mission mandate, including its command and control, began officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – risking the development of a power gap in the strip that may strengthen militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it command the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel deployed on the ground. It has previously in effect taken control of the distribution of relief supplies into the territory from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Function

The draft US resolution defines the aim of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and screened law enforcement to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of rebuilding the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of arms from non-state armed groups”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” 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 Qatar are also worried that this authority is too expansive, and if the group is to lay down arms, the group will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate extends to granting the stabilisation force a governance role in the territory, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a local technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily completed its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the draft says. It also “underscores the importance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any group determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the council barring the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of aid.

Global Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are currently pressing for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a mention to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are assigned a supervisory function over the mission, monitoring the implementation of the proposal, a point largely overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Developments

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the US that it be permitted to emulate the model of Lebanon and reserve the right to re-enter Gaza if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a level or speed it requires.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to appear subsequently the that day.

Only the remains of four of the initial hundreds of captives remain not recovered.

Independently, Israel has been proposing that the territory could still be split in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. Western diplomats maintain that this is not part of the Trump plan.