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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 would not take part due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Increasing International Concerns

Israel have previously excluded Turkey participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a potential participant, did not attend a preparatory meeting in Turkey and said it would not take part unless a complete truce was in place.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a defined framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but backs all political initiatives towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The UAE's announcement, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, highlights Arab reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing order in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would like greater responsibilities to be given to a distinct Palestinian law enforcement agency. International law would also forbid external forces from entering occupied Palestine unless there was clear Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be viewed as coercive under UN law, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is critical that the force be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will work as long as it operates in the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear objective to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent Palestinian state.”

The draft contains no mention to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israel opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Potential Dangers

Detailed talks on the mission authority, including its leadership structure, began officially on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be lengthy – risking the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may empower Hamas.

The United States is suggesting that it command the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the ground. It has previously in effect assumed command of the delivery of relief supplies into the territory from a new civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Role

The draft American document outlines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and screened police force to help secure border areas, stabilise the security environment in Gaza by guaranteeing the procedure of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” led by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “any required actions” to achieve its objectives.

Arab states including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is too expansive, and if the group is to disarm, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the end of occupation.

They also worry the proposed authority spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a local technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “emphasizes the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the removal of “any organisation determined to have misused such aid”. The wording permits the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the lawful distributor of aid.

International Political Efforts

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 scheduled in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has said that a reference to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the PA role.

Neither the UN nor the 15-member UNSC are given a supervisory role over the mission, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a point largely overlooked by the proposed document. No details is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, according to the US officials, should be largely covered by regional nations, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israel's Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to follow the model of Lebanon and retain the authority to re-enter the territory if it considers disarmament is not taking place at a level or speed it demands.

The request was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on Monday to review developments on the truce and the envoy was due to arrive later the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial hundreds of Israeli hostages are still unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could still be split in two with rebuilding efforts beginning in the Israel occupied areas of the strip. International officials maintain that this is no part of the Trump plan.