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Proposals for an international security mission mandated by the UN to demilitarize the militant group in the Gaza Strip are encountering growing resistance after the UAE stated it will not join due to the lack of a well-defined legal framework.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that his country's troops will not participate. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a possible contributor, did not attend a preparatory session in Istanbul and indicated it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was established.

The UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stability force and in this situation declines involvement, but backs all political initiatives towards resolution – and remain at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The UAE's decision, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, reflects regional doubts about the terms of a US-drafted resolution previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing security in the territory after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Arab states would like expanded duties to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. International law would also forbid foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit local approval; without it, the mission could be viewed as coercive under UN law, and potentially reinforcing an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Local Viewpoints and Calls for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the force be sent not to reinforce the illegal presence, but to enforce international law and end it. The mission will work as long as it enters the whole occupied territory, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear objective to conclude the presence within the context of a sovereign Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Ongoing Negotiations and Potential Risks

In-depth negotiations on the mission mandate, including its command and control, began officially on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be protracted – risking the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen militant factions.

The United States is suggesting that it command the force although it will not have many troops deployed on the terrain. It has previously effectively assumed command of the distribution of relief supplies into Gaza from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Function

The proposed American document defines the aim of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted law enforcement to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

The force, answerable to a “board of peace” led by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to fulfill its goals.

Arab states including Qatar are also worried that this authority is too expansive, and if Hamas is to lay down arms, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, probably in the civilian police force, at a moment that, from the Hamas viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into granting the mission a administrative role in Gaza, a task that was to be reserved for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured local government.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Issues

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily completed its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the proposal states. It also “underscores the importance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any organisation found to have improperly used such aid”. The wording permits the council barring Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has ruled is the lawful distributor of assistance.

Global Political Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are currently advocating for a mention to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has said that a reference to a Palestinian state is a requirement.

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

Neither the UN nor the 15-member UNSC are given a supervisory function over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the resolution, a point mostly overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Demands and Regional Developments

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

The request was presented to the former US advisor, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss progress on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive subsequently the that day.

Only the remains of a small number of the original hundreds of captives are still not recovered.

Separately, Israel 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 no part of the former US administration's proposal.