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Plans for an multinational security mission authorized by the United Nations to disarm the militant group in the Gaza Strip are facing increasing opposition after the UAE stated it would not join due to the absence of a clear legal framework.

Growing International Reservations

Israel have already ruled out Turkey involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's forces will not join. Azerbaijan, once considered as a potential participant, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place.

Emirati officials does not yet see a defined framework for the stability mission and under such circumstances will not participate, but backs all political initiatives towards peace – and stay at the forefront of relief efforts.

Regional Doubts and Legal Concerns

The Emirati announcement, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, highlights regional doubts about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution previously distributed to delegates at the UN in NYC. The proposal places an onus on a American-led security mission to be the principal means of ensuring order in Gaza after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would prefer expanded duties to be given to a distinct Palestinian law enforcement agency. International law would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was clear local approval; otherwise, the force could be seen as imposed under UN law, and arguably reinforcing an unlawful presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is essential that the force be sent not to reinforce the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The mission will work as long as it operates in the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined objective to conclude the presence within the framework of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a prospect that Israel rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Potential Risks

In-depth talks on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, began officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – risking the emergence of a vacuum in Gaza that may empower militant factions.

The US is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively taken control of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Mission Mandate and Administrative Role

The draft US resolution outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and vetted police force to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of reconstructing the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the permanent decommissioning of arms from non-state armed groups”.

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

Regional powers including Qatar are also concerned that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to disarm, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, probably in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the militant viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of Israeli presence.

They also fear the draft mandate extends to giving the stabilisation force a administrative role in Gaza, a task that was to be reserved for a local expert panel working in conjunction with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Aid Aspects and Financial Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would stay until “the local government has satisfactorily completed its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the draft says. It also “emphasizes the importance” of full relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any group determined to have improperly used such aid”. The wording permits the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the body that the international court of justice has ruled is the legal distributor of assistance.

International Political Initiatives

France and Saudi Arabia are already pressing for a reference to a Palestinian state to be added in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on 18 November, and Manal Radwan 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 authority's function.

Neither the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are given a oversight function over the mission, supervising the execution of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. No details is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Demands and Regional Developments

Israel is seeking written guarantees from the US that it be allowed to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the right to return to the territory if it believes disarmament is not occurring at a scale or speed it requires.

The request was put to the former US advisor, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss developments on the ceasefire and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive subsequently the that day.

Just the remains of a small number of the original 251 captives are still not recovered.

Independently, Israel has been proposing that the territory could yet be split in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. International officials insist that this is no part of the Trump plan.