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Proposals for an international stabilisation force authorized by the UN to disarm the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing increasing opposition after the UAE announced it will not join due to the absence of a clear legal framework.

Increasing Global Concerns

Israel have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian forces will not join. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a possible participant, was absent from a planning meeting in Istanbul and said it would not take part unless a full ceasefire was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a defined framework for the stability force and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Skepticism and Juridical Issues

The Emirati announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, reflects regional doubts about the terms of a US-drafted document already distributed to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the territory.

Arab states would prefer greater duties to be given to a distinct local civilian police force. International law would also forbid external forces from entering occupied Palestine unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the force could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an illegal presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the mission be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to uphold international law and end it. The force will succeed as long as it operates in the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined goal to end the occupation within the context of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

There is no reference 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.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Risks

In-depth talks on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, started officially on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it command the mission although it will not have many personnel deployed on the terrain. It has previously in effect taken control of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Function

The draft US resolution defines the aim of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting frontier zones, secure the security environment in the region by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting removal of arms from militant factions”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by the former US president, 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 overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will solely do so to local counterparts, probably in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of Israeli presence.

They also worry the draft mandate spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a task 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 stay until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily completed its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “underscores the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it allows for the removal of “any group found to have misused such aid”. The phrase leaves open the board of peace barring Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has ruled is the lawful provider of aid.

Global Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi Arabia are currently pressing for a reference to a Palestinian state to be included in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has stated that a mention to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to review the PA role.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15-member UNSC are assigned a supervisory function over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the resolution, a point mostly ignored by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israeli Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the United States that it be permitted to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and reserve the authority to re-enter the territory if it considers disarmament is not occurring at a level or speed it demands.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on Monday to review developments on the ceasefire and the envoy was due to appear subsequently the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial 251 Israeli hostages remain not recovered.

Independently, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could still be divided in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the Trump plan.