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Plans for an international security mission mandated by the UN to demilitarize Hamas in the Gaza Strip are encountering increasing opposition after the UAE announced it will not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Growing International Concerns

Israel have already ruled out Turkey involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a potential participant, did not attend a preparatory meeting in Istanbul and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete truce was in place.

The UAE lacks clarity on a defined framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all diplomatic initiatives towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Regional Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The UAE's announcement, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted document previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the primary means of ensuring security in Gaza after Israeli forces have left the territory.

Arab states would prefer expanded duties to be assigned to a separate Palestinian law enforcement agency. International law would also prohibit foreign troops from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit local approval; otherwise, the mission could be seen as coercive under UN law, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to reinforce the illegal presence, but to enforce international law and terminate it. The mission will succeed as long as it operates in the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear objective to conclude the occupation within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israeli leadership rejects.

Ongoing Negotiations and Potential Risks

Detailed talks on the mission authority, including its leadership structure, began formally on last week in New York, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may empower Hamas.

The US is proposing that it command the mission although it will not have many personnel deployed on the terrain. It has previously effectively taken control of the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Force Mandate and Governance Role

The draft American document defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the process of disarming the territory including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent decommissioning of arms from non-state armed groups”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to fulfill its goals.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also worried that this authority is too expansive, and if Hamas is to disarm, the faction will only do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, signifies the end of Israeli presence.

They also fear the proposed authority spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative function in the territory, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Issues

This “transitional governance administration” in Gaza would stay until “the local government has adequately completed its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “underscores the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group found to have improperly used such assistance”. The phrase permits the council excluding the UN relief agency, the body that the international court of justice has ruled is the legal provider of assistance.

Global Diplomatic Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a mention to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. 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 said that a mention to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.

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

Not the United Nations nor the 15-member security council are assigned a supervisory function 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 stabilisation mission, which, as per the US officials, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Requests and Local Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be allowed to emulate the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the authority to return to Gaza if it considers demilitarization is not taking place at a level or pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was put to the former US advisor, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on Monday to review progress on the ceasefire and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive later the that day.

Only the remains of a small number of the original hundreds of Israeli hostages remain unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could yet be split in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israel occupied areas of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the former US administration's proposal.