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Plans for an international security mission mandated by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are encountering growing resistance after the United Arab Emirates stated it will not take part due to the absence of a well-defined legal framework.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have already ruled out Turkish participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that his country's forces will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a possible contributor, was absent from a planning session in Istanbul and indicated it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was established.

The UAE does not yet see a defined framework for the stabilisation mission and in this situation will not participate, but backs all political initiatives towards peace – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Regional Doubts and Legal Issues

The Emirati announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution previously distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a American-led security mission to be the principal means of ensuring security in the territory after Israel have left the region.

Regional governments would prefer greater duties to be assigned to a distinct local law enforcement agency. International law would also prohibit external forces from deploying into contested Palestine unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be seen as imposed under UN law, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Local Viewpoints and Calls for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the mission be deployed not to stabilise the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to enforce global standards and end it. The mission will succeed as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a sovereign Palestinian state.”

The draft contains no mention to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israeli leadership opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Potential Risks

In-depth negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its leadership structure, began officially on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and appear to be protracted – risking the development of a vacuum in the strip that may empower militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it command the mission although it will not have many troops deployed on the terrain. It has previously effectively taken control of the delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Governance Role

The proposed American document outlines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and blocking of rebuilding the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of arms from militant factions”.

The mission, answerable to a “peace council” led by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be required to use “all necessary measures” to fulfill its objectives.

Arab states including Qatar are also worried that this mandate is too expansive, and if Hamas is to lay down arms, the group will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the draft mandate spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative function in the territory, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured Palestinian Authority.

Aid Considerations and Financial Questions

This “interim authority” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately completed its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “underscores the importance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any organisation determined to have misused such aid”. The phrase leaves open the council excluding Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful distributor of assistance.

International Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are already pressing 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 stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday to review the PA role.

Neither the UN nor the 15-member UNSC are assigned a supervisory role over the mission, supervising the implementation of the resolution, a aspect mostly overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the US that it be permitted to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the right to re-enter Gaza if it considers demilitarization is not taking place at a level or speed it requires.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on this week to discuss developments on the truce and Witkoff was due to arrive later the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial hundreds of captives remain unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been proposing that the territory could still be split in two parts with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israel occupied parts of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.