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Proposals for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize Hamas in the Gaza Strip are facing increasing opposition after the United Arab Emirates stated it will not take part due to the absence of a clear legal structure.

Growing International Reservations

Israel have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that his country's troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once considered as a potential contributor, did not attend a planning session in Turkey and said it would not take part unless a full ceasefire was in place.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a clear structure for the stabilisation mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but will support all political efforts towards resolution – and remain at the vanguard of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Legal Concerns

The UAE's announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted document previously distributed to delegates at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a American-led security mission to be the primary means of imposing order in Gaza after Israel have left the territory.

Regional governments would prefer greater duties to be assigned to a separate Palestinian law enforcement agency. International law would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and potentially stabilising an unlawful presence.

Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to stabilise the unlawful presence, but to enforce international law and end it. The mission will work as long as it operates in the entire occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined objective to end the occupation within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

There is no reference to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Ongoing Negotiations and Potential Dangers

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

The US is proposing that it command the force although it will not have many personnel involved on the terrain. It has already in effect assumed command of the delivery of relief supplies into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Force Mandate and Administrative Role

The draft US resolution defines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and screened law enforcement to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the process of disarming the territory including the destruction and blocking of reconstructing the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of weapons from militant factions”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” chaired by the former US president, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “any required actions” to achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the group will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the civilian police force, at a moment that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the end of occupation.

They also worry the proposed authority extends to giving the stabilisation force a governance role in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Funding Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the local government has adequately completed its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the importance” of full relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any group determined to have improperly used such aid”. The phrase leaves open the board of peace barring Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of aid.

Global Diplomatic Efforts

France and Saudi Arabia are already pressing for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on 18 November, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on this week to discuss the PA role.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are assigned a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a point largely overlooked by the draft text. No details is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, according to the US officials, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israeli Requests and Local Developments

Israel is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be permitted to follow the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the right to return to the territory if it believes disarmament is not taking place at a level or pace it demands.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on Monday to review progress on the ceasefire and the envoy was scheduled to appear subsequently the same day.

Just the remains of four of the original 251 captives are still not recovered.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the territory could yet be split in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israel occupied areas of the strip. Western diplomats maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.