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Plans for an international stabilisation force authorized by the United Nations to demilitarize the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing growing resistance after the UAE announced it would not join due to the absence of a well-defined legal structure.

Growing Global Concerns

Israel have already excluded Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a possible participant, did not attend a planning meeting in Istanbul and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a clear structure for the stability mission 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 Juridical Concerns

The UAE's decision, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, reflects regional doubts about the provisions of a US-drafted document already distributed to diplomats at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of ensuring security in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would prefer greater duties to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid foreign troops from entering occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit local approval; without it, the mission could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful Israeli occupation.

Local Perspectives and Appeals for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to stabilise the unlawful presence, but to enforce international law and end it. The mission will succeed as long as it operates in the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear objective to end the occupation within the framework of a sovereign Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Possible Risks

Detailed negotiations on the mission mandate, including its leadership structure, began officially on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a power gap in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The US is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the ground. It has already effectively assumed command of the distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Force Objectives and Administrative Function

The draft US resolution outlines the purpose of the security mission as “along with the newly trained and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, secure the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of arms from non-state armed groups”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” led by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatar are also concerned that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the faction will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the end of Israeli presence.

They also worry the draft mandate extends to granting the stabilisation force a administrative function in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Aid Considerations and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any organisation found to have misused such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the board of peace barring Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful distributor of assistance.

International Political Initiatives

French officials and Saudi representatives are currently 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 US presidential residence on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Monday to discuss the PA role.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are given a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a aspect mostly overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, as per the US officials, should be largely borne by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israeli Requests and Regional Situations

Israel is requesting written guarantees from the United States that it be allowed to emulate the model of Lebanon and reserve the right 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 Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on this week to review progress on the truce and Witkoff was due to arrive later the that day.

Just the remains of four of the original hundreds of Israeli hostages are still unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the territory could yet be divided in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israel occupied areas of the strip. International officials maintain that this is no part of the Trump plan.