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Proposals for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize Hamas in Gaza are encountering increasing opposition after the UAE stated it would not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, previously mooted as a potential contributor, was absent from a preparatory meeting in Istanbul and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete truce was in place.

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

Arab Doubts and Juridical Issues

The UAE's decision, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the provisions of a American-proposed document previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the principal means of imposing order in Gaza after Israeli forces have left the region.

Arab states would prefer greater responsibilities to be given to a distinct local law enforcement agency. International law would also prohibit foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be seen as coercive under UN law, and arguably reinforcing an illegal presence.

Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to stabilise the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and terminate it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear goal to end the presence within the context of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains 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 rejects.

Continuing Discussions and Possible Dangers

Detailed talks on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, started officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – risking the development of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is suggesting that it lead the force although it will not have a large number of personnel deployed on the terrain. It has previously effectively taken control of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a new 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 recently prepared and vetted police force to help secure frontier zones, secure the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” led by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be required to use “any required actions” to fulfill its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into giving the mission a governance role in the territory, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Issues

This “interim authority” in the strip would remain until “the local government has satisfactorily finished its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group found to have misused such assistance”. The phrase permits the council excluding the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has said is the lawful provider of assistance.

Global Political Initiatives

French officials and Saudi representatives are already advocating for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be included 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 reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on this week to discuss the PA role.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong UNSC are given a supervisory function over the stabilisation force, supervising the implementation of the proposal, a aspect mostly overlooked by the proposed document. No details is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be allowed to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the right to re-enter the territory if it considers disarmament is not taking place at a scale or pace it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to the former US advisor, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on Monday to review progress on the truce and Witkoff was due to appear later the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial hundreds of Israeli hostages are still unreturned.

Independently, Israel has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two parts with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the strip. Western diplomats maintain that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.