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Plans for an multinational stabilisation force authorized by the United Nations to disarm Hamas in Gaza are facing growing opposition after the UAE stated it would not join due to the absence of a clear legal structure.

Increasing Global Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkish participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not join. The Azerbaijani government, previously mooted as a potential participant, did not attend a preparatory session in Turkey and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a defined framework for the stabilisation mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Doubts and Legal Concerns

The UAE's decision, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the terms of a US-drafted resolution previously circulated to diplomats at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing order in the territory after Israel have withdrawn from the region.

Arab states would prefer greater duties to be given to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was explicit local approval; otherwise, the force could be seen as imposed under UN law, and arguably stabilising an illegal presence.

Local Viewpoints and Calls for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is essential that the mission be sent not to reinforce the unlawful presence, but to enforce global standards and terminate it. The mission will work as long as it operates in the whole disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the request of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined objective to end the occupation within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the occupied territories in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israeli leadership rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Potential Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, began officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a power gap in Gaza that may strengthen militant factions.

The US is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have many troops involved on the terrain. It has already effectively taken control of the distribution of humanitarian aid into the territory from a recently established logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Role

The proposed US resolution outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and screened police force to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the process of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent decommissioning of arms from militant factions”.

The mission, answerable to a “board of peace” chaired by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “any required actions” to fulfill its objectives.

Arab states including Qatari officials 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 time that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the end of Israeli presence.

They also worry the proposed authority spills into giving the stabilisation force a administrative function in the territory, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a Palestinian expert panel working in cooperation with a reformed local government.

Aid Aspects and Funding Issues

This “interim authority” in the strip would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily completed its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the proposal states. It also “underscores the significance” of full humanitarian aid in the territory, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the removal of “any organisation determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording leaves open the council barring Unrwa, the organization that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful distributor of aid.

Global Political Initiatives

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 scheduled in the US presidential residence on 18 November, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has said that a reference to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to review the PA role.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15-member UNSC are given a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a aspect mostly overlooked by the proposed document. 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 assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the United States that it be allowed to follow the model of Lebanon and reserve the authority to return to the territory if it believes demilitarization is not occurring at a scale or pace it demands.

The request was presented to the former US advisor, the ex-president's relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on Monday to discuss developments on the truce and the envoy was scheduled to arrive later the that day.

Just the remains of a small number of the original 251 captives are still unreturned.

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