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Proposals for an multinational stabilisation force mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize the militant group in Gaza are facing growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates announced it will not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Increasing Global Concerns

Israeli authorities have already excluded Turkish involvement, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that his country's forces will not participate. The Azerbaijani government, previously mooted as a possible contributor, did not attend a preparatory session in Turkey and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete truce was established.

The UAE lacks clarity on a clear structure for the stabilisation force and in this situation will not participate, but will support all political efforts towards peace – and stay at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Regional Doubts and Legal Issues

The Emirati announcement, made by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution previously distributed to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the principal means of ensuring security in Gaza after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.

Regional governments would like greater responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. International law would also prohibit foreign troops from deploying into contested Palestinian territories unless there was clear Palestinian consent; otherwise, the force could be viewed as coercive under UN law, and arguably stabilising an illegal presence.

Local Viewpoints and Calls for Definition

A Palestinian American co-author of the ceasefire proposal commented: “It is critical that the mission be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to uphold international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the entire occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a clear goal to conclude the occupation within the context of a sovereign state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no mention to the West Bank in the US draft resolution, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israeli leadership opposes.

Ongoing Negotiations and Possible Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force mandate, including its command and control, started officially on last week in New York, and appear to be lengthy – risking the emergence of a power gap in the strip that may empower militant factions.

The United States is proposing that it lead the force although it will not have a large number of personnel deployed on the ground. It has previously in effect taken control of the distribution of relief supplies into the territory from a new logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Role

The proposed US resolution defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and screened police force to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in the region by ensuring the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”.

The mission, answerable to a “peace council” led by the former US president, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “any required actions” to achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatar are also worried that this mandate is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the faction will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the Hamas perspective, marks the conclusion of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate extends to granting the mission a governance function in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would remain until “the local government has satisfactorily finished its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be approved to the board of peace”, the draft states. It also “underscores the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.

Nonetheless, it allows for the exclusion of “any organisation found to have misused such assistance”. The wording permits the council barring Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has said is the lawful provider of assistance.

International Diplomatic Efforts

France and Saudi representatives 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 mention to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the authority's function.

Neither the UN nor the 15-member UNSC are assigned a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the execution of the resolution, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. No details is specified about the financing of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be largely borne by Gulf states, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israeli Requests and Local Developments

Israeli authorities is requesting written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to return to the territory if it believes demilitarization is not occurring at a scale or speed it demands.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. The advisor was in the Israeli capital on Monday to discuss developments on the ceasefire and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive subsequently the same day.

Only the remains of four of the initial 251 captives are still not recovered.

Separately, Israel has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could yet be divided in two parts with rebuilding efforts beginning in the Israel occupied parts of the region. International officials insist that this is no part of the Trump plan.