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Plans for an multinational stabilisation force mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize Hamas in the Gaza Strip are facing increasing opposition after the UAE stated it would not join due to the lack of a clear legal framework.

Increasing International Reservations

Israel have already excluded Turkish involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not join. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a potential contributor, did not attend a preparatory session in Turkey and indicated it would not take part unless a complete ceasefire was established.

The UAE lacks clarity on a clear structure for the stabilisation mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but will support all political initiatives towards peace – and stay at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The Emirati announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution previously circulated to diplomats at the UN in NYC. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing order in Gaza after Israeli forces have left the region.

Regional governments would like expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct local law enforcement agency. International law would also prohibit foreign troops from entering occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit local approval; otherwise, the mission could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and potentially stabilising an illegal presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is critical that the mission be sent not to stabilise the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will succeed as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a sovereign Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israel rejects.

Continuing Negotiations and Potential Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the mission authority, including its leadership structure, began formally on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

The US is proposing that it lead the force although it will not have many troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively assumed command of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a new civil military coordination centre based in Israel.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Role

The proposed American document outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and vetted law enforcement to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in the region by ensuring the process of disarming the territory including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons 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 objectives.

Regional powers including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will only do so to local counterparts, probably in the civilian police force, at a moment that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of Israeli presence.

They also fear the proposed authority spills into giving the mission a administrative function in Gaza, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian expert panel working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily completed its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the proposal states. It also “emphasizes the importance” of unhindered humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the removal of “any group determined to have misused such assistance”. The wording leaves open the board of peace excluding the UN relief agency, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the legal provider of assistance.

Global Political Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are currently pressing for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on 18 November, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to review the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are given a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the draft text. No details is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and reserve the right to re-enter the territory if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a level or speed it demands.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on Monday to review developments on the ceasefire and Witkoff was due to arrive subsequently the same day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial 251 Israeli hostages are still unreturned.

Separately, Israel has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could yet be split in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israel occupied areas of the strip. Western diplomats maintain that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.