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Plans for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to disarm the militant group in the Gaza Strip are encountering increasing opposition after the UAE stated it will not take part due to the absence of a well-defined legal structure.

Growing International Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that his country's troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, previously mooted as a possible contributor, did not attend a planning session in Istanbul and said it would not contribute unless a complete truce was established.

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

Arab Doubts and Legal Concerns

The UAE's announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, reflects Arab doubts about the provisions of a US-drafted document already distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing security in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the territory.

Regional governments would like greater duties to be given to a separate Palestinian law enforcement agency. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the mission could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is essential that the force be sent not to stabilise the unlawful presence, but to enforce international law and terminate it. The mission will succeed as long as it enters the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear objective to end the presence within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israeli leadership rejects.

Continuing Discussions and Potential Dangers

Detailed talks on the mission authority, including its leadership structure, started officially on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be protracted – risking the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The US is proposing that it command the force although it will not have many personnel involved on the terrain. It has already effectively taken control of the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Force Objectives and Governance Role

The draft American document outlines the aim of the security mission as “along with the recently prepared and screened law enforcement to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the process of disarming the territory including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of weapons from militant factions”.

The mission, 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 achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is too expansive, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the proposed authority spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in conjunction with a restructured local government.

Humanitarian Considerations and Funding Questions

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has adequately completed its reform program, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft says. It also “underscores the importance” of unhindered humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group found to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the council excluding the UN relief agency, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the lawful provider of assistance.

Global Political Efforts

France and Saudi Arabia are currently pressing for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a reference 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 Monday to discuss the PA role.

Neither the UN nor the 15-member security council are assigned a oversight role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the proposal, a point largely overlooked by the draft text. No details is outlined about the financing of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be largely borne by regional nations, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Demands and Local Developments

Israel is requesting formal assurances from the US that it be allowed to follow the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the right to re-enter the territory if it considers disarmament is not occurring at a scale or pace it requires.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the truce and the envoy was due to appear subsequently the same day.

Only the bodies of a small number of the initial 251 captives are still unreturned.

Independently, Israel has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled parts of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.