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Proposals for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to disarm Hamas in the Gaza Strip are encountering increasing opposition after the United Arab Emirates announced it would not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal framework.

Increasing Global Reservations

Israel have already excluded Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not join. The Azerbaijani government, once considered as a possible contributor, was absent from a preparatory session in Istanbul and indicated it would not take part unless a complete truce was established.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a clear framework for the stability force and under such circumstances declines involvement, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and stay at the forefront of relief efforts.

Arab Skepticism and Juridical Concerns

The UAE's announcement, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, highlights Arab reservations about the terms of a American-proposed resolution already circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have left the territory.

Regional governments would prefer expanded duties to be assigned to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also prohibit external forces from deploying into contested Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the mission could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Calls for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is essential that the force be sent not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to enforce international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israel opposes.

Continuing Discussions and Possible Risks

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its leadership structure, started officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a power gap in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is suggesting that it lead the force although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the terrain. It has previously in effect assumed command of the distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Force Mandate and Governance Role

The proposed American document outlines the aim of the security mission as “along with the newly trained and vetted law enforcement to assist in protecting frontier zones, secure the safety situation in the region by ensuring the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and blocking of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of arms from militant factions”.

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

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will only do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the civilian police force, at a moment that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the end of Israeli presence.

They also fear the proposed authority extends to giving the stabilisation force a administrative role in the territory, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Financial Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the draft says. It also “emphasizes the significance” of full relief in the territory, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it allows for the exclusion of “any organisation found to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has ruled is the legal provider of assistance.

Global Political Initiatives

French officials and Saudi representatives are already pressing for a mention to a Palestinian state to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has said that a reference to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the authority's function.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are given a oversight role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. Nothing is outlined about the funding of this security operation, which, according to the Americans, should be largely covered by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israeli Demands and Local Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be allowed to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the right to return to the territory if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a level or speed it demands.

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

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

Separately, Israel has been suggesting that the territory could still be divided in two parts with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the strip. International officials maintain that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.