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Proposals for an multinational security mission mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates announced it would not take part due to the lack of a clear legal structure.

Increasing Global Reservations

Israel have already ruled out Turkish participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that his country's troops will not join. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a potential participant, did not attend a planning meeting in Istanbul and indicated it would not take part unless a complete truce was in place.

The UAE lacks clarity on a defined framework for the stability force and in this situation declines involvement, but will support all diplomatic initiatives towards resolution – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Regional Doubts and Juridical Issues

The UAE's decision, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, reflects Arab reservations about the terms of a American-proposed resolution previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed security mission to be the principal means of imposing security in Gaza after Israel have left the territory.

Regional governments would like greater duties to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. International law would also forbid external forces from entering occupied Palestine unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be viewed as imposed under UN law, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to enforce international law and terminate it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear objective to conclude the occupation within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

There is no reference to the occupied territories in the American proposal, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israel opposes.

Continuing Discussions and Possible Dangers

Detailed talks on the mission authority, including its leadership structure, started officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the terrain. It has previously in effect taken control of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Function

The draft American document outlines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, secure the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent removal of weapons from militant factions”.

The mission, reporting to a “peace council” led 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 too expansive, and if Hamas is to disarm, the group will only do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the draft mandate spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative role in the territory, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a restructured local government.

Aid Aspects and Financial Questions

This “interim authority” in the strip would stay until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “underscores the significance” of full relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group found to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording permits the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the body that the international court of justice has ruled is the lawful provider of assistance.

International Political Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a mention to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the PA role.

Not the United Nations nor the 15-member security council are assigned a supervisory function over the mission, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a aspect mostly overlooked by the proposed document. No details is outlined about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, as per the Americans, should be mostly borne by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Demands and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be permitted to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and reserve the right to return to the territory if it considers demilitarization is not taking place at a level or speed it requires.

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

Just the remains of a small number of the initial hundreds of captives remain not recovered.

Separately, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two parts with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the strip. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.