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Proposals for an international security mission authorized by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are encountering increasing resistance after the United Arab Emirates stated it would not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not participate. The Azerbaijani government, once mooted as a possible participant, was absent from a preparatory session in Istanbul and said it would not take part unless a full ceasefire was established.

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

Regional Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The Emirati decision, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, highlights Arab reservations about the terms of a US-drafted resolution already circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would like greater responsibilities to be given to a separate Palestinian law enforcement agency. Global jurisprudence would also forbid foreign troops from entering contested Palestinian territories unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be seen as coercive under UN law, and potentially stabilising an illegal presence.

Local Perspectives and Calls for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is critical that the force be sent not to stabilise the unlawful presence, but to uphold global standards and end it. The mission will work as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the request of Palestine, and has a clear goal to end the occupation within the context of a independent Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israel opposes.

Continuing Negotiations and Possible Dangers

In-depth talks on the mission mandate, including its command and control, started officially on last week in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The US is suggesting that it command the mission although it will not have a large number of troops involved on the terrain. It has previously effectively assumed command of the delivery of relief supplies into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Mission Objectives and Governance Function

The proposed US resolution outlines the purpose of the security mission as “along with the recently prepared and vetted police force to assist in protecting border areas, secure the security environment in Gaza by guaranteeing the procedure 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 weapons from militant factions”.

The force, answerable to a “board of peace” led by the former US president, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its objectives.

Arab states including Qatari officials are also concerned that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the faction will solely do so to local counterparts, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate extends to giving the stabilisation force a governance function in the territory, a task that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in conjunction with a restructured Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Considerations and Financial Issues

This “interim authority” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily completed its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the importance” of full humanitarian aid in Gaza, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any organisation determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording leaves open the board of peace barring the UN relief agency, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the lawful distributor of assistance.

International Political Efforts

French officials and Saudi representatives are currently advocating for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the resolution. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has stated that a reference to a Palestinian state is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on this week to review the PA role.

Not the United Nations nor the 15 strong UNSC are assigned a supervisory role over the mission, monitoring the execution of the proposal, a aspect largely ignored by the draft text. Nothing is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be largely borne by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Requests and Local Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be allowed to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and reserve the right to return to the territory if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a scale or pace it demands.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on Monday to discuss developments on the ceasefire and the envoy was due to appear later the same day.

Just the bodies of four of the original 251 Israeli hostages remain unreturned.

Separately, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two parts with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled parts of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.