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Proposals for an international security mission mandated by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are facing growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates stated it would not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal framework.

Growing International Concerns

Israel have already excluded Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian forces will not participate. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a possible participant, did not attend a preparatory meeting in Istanbul and said it would not take part unless a full truce was in place.

The UAE lacks clarity on a clear framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all political efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Skepticism and Legal Issues

The UAE's decision, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the terms of a American-proposed document previously circulated to delegates at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing security in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the territory.

Arab states would like expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct Palestinian law enforcement agency. International law would also forbid foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the force could be viewed as coercive under international statutes, and arguably stabilising an illegal Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the mission be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to enforce global standards and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the whole occupied territory, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear objective to end the presence within the framework of a independent Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Dangers

In-depth talks on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, started officially on last week in New York, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen militant factions.

The United States is suggesting that it command the force although it will not have many personnel deployed on the ground. It has previously effectively taken control of the delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Force Objectives and Governance Function

The draft American document outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and screened law enforcement to help secure border areas, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the territory including the destruction and prevention of reconstructing the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be required to use “any required actions” to achieve its goals.

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

They also fear the proposed authority spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Humanitarian Considerations 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 “emphasizes the importance” of unhindered humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the removal of “any group found to have misused such aid”. The phrase permits the council excluding Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has said is the legal distributor of assistance.

International Political Initiatives

French officials and Saudi Arabia are currently advocating for a mention to a Palestinian state to be added in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has said that a reference to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

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

Neither the UN nor the 15-member UNSC are given a oversight role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a point mostly ignored by the draft text. No details is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be largely covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Demands and Regional Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be allowed to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and reserve the authority to re-enter the territory if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a scale or pace it demands.

The request was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on this week to review developments on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive later the that day.

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

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the territory could still be split in two parts with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the Trump plan.