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Proposals for an multinational stabilisation force authorized by the UN to disarm the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing growing resistance after the UAE announced it would not join due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Growing Global Concerns

Israel have already ruled out Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian forces will not participate. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a potential participant, was absent from a preparatory session in Turkey and said it would not take part unless a full truce was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a clear framework for the stability force and in this situation will not participate, but backs all political initiatives towards peace – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The Emirati announcement, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, highlights Arab doubts about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution previously distributed to delegates at the UN in NYC. The proposal assigns responsibility on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have left the territory.

Arab states would prefer expanded duties to be given to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the mission could be viewed as imposed under UN law, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Local Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to reinforce the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to uphold international law and terminate it. The mission will work as long as it operates in the entire disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear objective to end the presence within the context of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

There is no mention to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israel opposes.

Continuing Discussions and Potential Dangers

Detailed talks on the mission mandate, including its leadership structure, began formally on last week in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it command the force although it will not have many troops involved on the ground. It has previously effectively assumed command of the distribution of humanitarian aid into the territory from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Force Mandate and Governance Function

The proposed US resolution outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the newly trained and vetted law enforcement to help secure frontier zones, secure the safety situation in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

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

Arab states including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, 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 moment that, from the militant perspective, marks the conclusion of Israeli presence.

They also worry the draft mandate extends to granting the mission a governance role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Considerations and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “underscores the importance” of full relief in Gaza, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any group determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the council excluding Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the legal provider of aid.

International Diplomatic Initiatives

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has said that a mention to a Palestinian state is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on this week to review the PA role.

Neither the UN nor the 15 strong security council are given a oversight function over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a point mostly overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, according to the Americans, should be largely borne by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israeli Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking written guarantees from the US that it be allowed to emulate the pattern of Lebanon and retain the authority to return to Gaza if it considers disarmament is not occurring at a level or speed it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to the former US advisor, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on this week to review developments on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to appear later the that day.

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

Separately, Israel has been proposing that the territory could still be divided in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled parts of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.