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Plans for an international security mission mandated by the UN to disarm Hamas in the Gaza Strip are facing growing resistance after the UAE announced it will not join due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Growing Global Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkey involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not participate. 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 full ceasefire was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a defined framework for the stabilisation force and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all political initiatives towards peace – and stay at the vanguard of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Issues

The UAE's announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, reflects Arab reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution already distributed to diplomats at the UN in NYC. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing order in Gaza after Israel have left the territory.

Regional governments would prefer greater responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and potentially reinforcing an illegal Israeli occupation.

Local Perspectives and Calls for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the force be sent not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined objective to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

There is no mention to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israel opposes.

Ongoing Discussions and Potential Dangers

In-depth talks on the mission authority, including its command and control, started formally on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be protracted – risking the emergence of a vacuum in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it lead the force although it will not have many troops involved on the ground. It has previously in effect taken control of the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Role

The proposed American document defines the aim of the security mission as “along with the newly trained and screened police force to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the territory including the destruction and blocking of reconstructing the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

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

Arab states including Qatar are also concerned that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will only do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, signifies the end of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the draft says. It also “underscores the significance” of full humanitarian aid 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 determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the board of peace barring Unrwa, the body that the international court of justice has said is the lawful distributor of aid.

International Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are already pressing for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday to discuss the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15-member security council are given a oversight role over the stabilisation force, supervising the execution of the resolution, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. No details is specified about the financing of this security operation, which, according to the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Requests and Regional Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to return to the territory if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a level or speed it demands.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the ceasefire and the envoy was due to arrive later the that day.

Only the remains of a small number of the original 251 captives are still unreturned.

Independently, Israel has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could still be split in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the strip. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.