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Proposals for an international security mission mandated by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are facing increasing resistance after the UAE announced it will not join due to the absence of a clear legal structure.

Increasing International Reservations

Israel have previously excluded Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian forces will not join. The Azerbaijani government, once considered as a possible contributor, did not attend a preparatory meeting in Turkey and indicated it would not take part unless a complete truce was established.

The UAE does not yet see a defined structure for the stabilisation mission and in this situation declines involvement, but backs all political efforts towards resolution – and stay at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Regional Doubts and Juridical Issues

The UAE's announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, highlights regional reservations about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution already distributed to diplomats at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the principal means of imposing security in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the territory.

Regional governments would like expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a separate Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit external forces from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the force could be seen as coercive under international statutes, and potentially stabilising an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Perspectives and Calls for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is critical that the mission be sent not to stabilise the illegal Israeli occupation, but to enforce global standards and end it. The mission will succeed as long as it operates in the entire occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the occupation within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

There is no mention to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a prospect that Israel rejects.

Continuing Discussions and Potential Risks

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its leadership structure, started formally on Thursday in New York, and appear to be protracted – potentially creating the development of a power gap in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have many troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively taken control of the distribution of relief supplies into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Mission Mandate and Governance Function

The proposed American document defines the purpose of the security mission as “along with the newly trained and screened law enforcement to assist in protecting border areas, secure the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing 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 arms from militant factions”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” led by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “any required actions” to achieve its objectives.

Arab states including Qatar are also worried that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, signifies the end of Israeli presence.

They also fear the draft mandate extends to granting the stabilisation force a administrative function in the territory, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Funding Questions

This “interim authority” in the strip would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily completed its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “underscores the importance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the removal of “any group determined to have misused such aid”. The wording permits the board of peace barring the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of assistance.

Global Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are currently pressing for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a mention to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to review the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15-member security council are given a oversight role over the mission, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a aspect largely 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 Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Requests and Regional Developments

Israel is seeking formal assurances from the US that it be permitted to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to re-enter the territory if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a level or pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was presented to the former US advisor, the ex-president's relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on Monday to review progress on the truce and Witkoff was due to arrive subsequently the that day.

Only the remains of a small number of the initial 251 captives 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 Israel occupied areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the Trump plan.