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Proposals for an international security mission authorized by the United Nations to disarm Hamas in Gaza are facing increasing opposition after the UAE stated it will not join due to the lack of a clear legal structure.

Growing Global Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a possible contributor, was absent from a preparatory meeting in Turkey and indicated it would not take part unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

The UAE lacks clarity on a defined structure for the stability force and under such circumstances will not participate, but will support all diplomatic efforts towards peace – and remain at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Arab Doubts and Juridical 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 document already distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a American-led security mission to be the principal means of ensuring security in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.

Arab states would prefer expanded responsibilities to be given to a distinct local civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit external forces from deploying into contested Palestine unless there was clear local approval; without it, the force could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and potentially reinforcing an illegal Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is essential that the force be deployed not to reinforce the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to enforce international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

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

Continuing Discussions and Possible Risks

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, started officially on Thursday in New York, and appear to be protracted – risking the emergence of a vacuum in Gaza that may empower militant factions.

The US is suggesting that it lead the force although it will not have a large number of troops involved on the terrain. It has already effectively taken control of the delivery of relief supplies into the territory from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Governance Function

The draft US resolution outlines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and screened police force to help secure border areas, secure the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the militant and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of arms from militant factions”.

The force, answerable to a “board of peace” chaired by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be required to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its goals.

Arab states including Qatari officials are also worried that this mandate is overly broad, and if Hamas is to lay down arms, the group will only do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the militant viewpoint, marks the end of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into giving the stabilisation force a governance role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it allows for the removal of “any group found to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the organization that the global judicial body has ruled is the legal distributor of aid.

International Political Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are currently advocating for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a mention to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday to discuss the authority's function.

Not the United Nations nor the 15 strong UNSC are assigned a oversight role over the mission, monitoring the execution of the resolution, a aspect largely ignored by the draft text. No details is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Demands and Regional Developments

Israeli authorities is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the authority to re-enter Gaza if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a level or pace it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on this week to review developments on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive subsequently the same day.

Just the remains of a small number of the initial hundreds of Israeli hostages are still not recovered.

Independently, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could still be split in two with rebuilding efforts beginning in the Israel occupied parts of the region. International officials maintain that this is no part of the Trump plan.