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Plans for an international stabilisation force authorized by the United Nations to demilitarize Hamas in Gaza are encountering growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates stated it would not join due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Growing International Concerns

Israel have previously ruled out Turkey involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that his country's forces will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a possible participant, did not attend a preparatory session in Istanbul and indicated it would not take part unless a complete ceasefire was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a clear framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances will not participate, but will support all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and stay at the vanguard of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Legal Issues

The UAE's announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, highlights Arab doubts about the terms of a US-drafted resolution already circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the territory.

Arab states would prefer expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a separate Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; otherwise, the mission could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an illegal presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is essential that the force be sent not to reinforce the illegal presence, but to uphold international law and end it. The mission will work as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the request of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined objective to end the presence within the context of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israel rejects.

Continuing Negotiations and Possible Risks

Detailed talks on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, started formally on last week in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may empower militant factions.

The US is proposing that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the terrain. It has previously in effect taken control of the distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Role

The draft US resolution defines the aim of the security mission as “together with the recently prepared and vetted police force to help secure border areas, secure the security environment in the region by ensuring the process of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of weapons from militant factions”.

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

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

They also fear the draft mandate extends to giving the stabilisation force a governance function in Gaza, a task that was to be reserved for a local technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would remain until “the local government has adequately completed its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft says. It also “underscores the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it opens the door the exclusion of “any organisation found to have misused such assistance”. The phrase permits the board of peace barring the UN relief agency, the organization that the international court of justice has ruled is the lawful distributor of assistance.

International Diplomatic Initiatives

French officials and Saudi representatives are currently pressing for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a mention to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

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

Neither the UN nor the 15 strong UNSC are assigned a supervisory role over the mission, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a aspect largely ignored by the proposed document. No details is outlined about the financing of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting written guarantees from the US that it be permitted to follow the model of Lebanon and retain the right to re-enter the territory if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a level or speed it requires.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on Monday to review developments on the ceasefire and the envoy was scheduled to appear later the same day.

Only the bodies of a small number of the original 251 Israeli hostages remain not recovered.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.