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Plans for an multinational stabilisation force authorized by the UN to demilitarize Hamas in the Gaza Strip are facing growing resistance after the United Arab Emirates announced it will not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Increasing International Concerns

Israel have already excluded Turkey involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian forces will not participate. Azerbaijan, once considered as a possible contributor, was absent from a planning meeting in Istanbul and said it would not take part unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

The UAE does not yet see a defined framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of relief efforts.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The Emirati announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, highlights regional reservations about the terms of a American-proposed resolution previously distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the primary means of ensuring order in the territory after Israeli forces have left the region.

Arab states would prefer greater responsibilities to be given to a distinct local law enforcement agency. International law would also prohibit external forces from entering contested Palestine unless there was clear Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be seen as imposed under UN law, and arguably stabilising an illegal presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the force be sent not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold international law and end it. The force will work as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a clear objective to conclude the occupation within the context of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israel opposes.

Ongoing Negotiations and Possible Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its leadership structure, began formally on Thursday in New York, and appear to be protracted – risking the development of a vacuum in Gaza that may empower militant factions.

The US 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 humanitarian aid into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Mandate and Governance Function

The draft American document defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in the region by ensuring the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of arms from militant factions”.

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

Arab states including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the militant viewpoint, marks the end of Israeli presence.

They also worry the proposed authority extends to giving the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Aid Aspects and Financial Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “underscores the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group determined to have misused such aid”. The phrase leaves open the council excluding the UN relief agency, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the legal distributor of aid.

Global Diplomatic Efforts

France and Saudi representatives are currently advocating for a mention to a Palestinian state to be included in the document. 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 mention to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on this week to discuss the PA role.

Neither the UN nor the 15 strong UNSC are assigned a oversight role over the mission, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a point largely ignored by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israeli Demands and Local Developments

Israel is requesting formal assurances from the US that it be permitted to follow the model of Lebanon and retain the right to re-enter Gaza if it considers disarmament is not taking place at a level or speed it requires.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on this week to review developments on the ceasefire and Witkoff was due to appear subsequently the same day.

Just the bodies of a small number of the original 251 Israeli hostages are still unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could still be divided in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the Trump plan.