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Plans for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to disarm Hamas in Gaza are encountering increasing opposition after the UAE stated it will not take part due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Growing International Reservations

Israel have already excluded Turkey involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously considered as a possible participant, was absent from a planning session in Istanbul and indicated it would not take part unless a full ceasefire was in place.

Emirati officials does not yet see a defined structure for the stabilisation force and in this situation declines involvement, but will support all political initiatives towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of relief efforts.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The Emirati announcement, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the terms of a US-drafted document already circulated to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing security in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Arab states would like expanded responsibilities to be given to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; otherwise, the mission could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and potentially stabilising an illegal presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is essential that the mission be deployed not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to enforce global standards and end it. The force will work as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

There is no mention to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Possible Risks

Detailed talks on the stabilisation force mandate, including its command and control, started officially on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – risking the development of a vacuum in Gaza that may strengthen militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it command the force although it will not have many troops involved on the terrain. It has previously in effect taken control of the distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in Israel.

Force Mandate and Administrative Function

The draft American document outlines the purpose of the security mission as “together with the recently prepared and screened police force to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the procedure of demilitarising the territory including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting decommissioning of arms from militant factions”.

The force, answerable to a “peace council” led by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its goals.

Arab states including Qatari officials are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the faction will only do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the proposed authority spills into granting the stabilisation force a governance role in Gaza, a task that was to be reserved for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately completed its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft says. It also “underscores the significance” of full relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it allows for the removal of “any group found to have improperly used such aid”. The wording permits the council excluding the UN relief agency, the organization that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of aid.

International Political Initiatives

France and Saudi Arabia are already pressing for a mention to a Palestinian state to be added in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on 18 November, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a reference to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

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

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong UNSC are assigned a oversight role over the mission, supervising the execution of the resolution, a aspect largely overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, according to the US officials, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Demands and Regional Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the US that it be allowed to follow the model of Lebanon and retain the authority to return to the territory if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a level or pace it requires.

The request was presented to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on this week to review developments on the ceasefire and the envoy was scheduled to appear subsequently the same day.

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

Independently, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could still be divided in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.