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Plans for an multinational stabilisation force authorized by the UN to demilitarize Hamas in Gaza are facing increasing resistance after the United Arab Emirates stated it would not take part due to the lack of a clear legal structure.

Growing International Reservations

Israel have already ruled out Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian forces will not join. Azerbaijan, previously considered as a potential participant, was absent from a planning meeting in Istanbul and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete truce was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a clear framework for the stability force and in this situation will not participate, but will support all diplomatic initiatives towards peace – and stay at the vanguard of humanitarian aid.

Regional Skepticism and Juridical Issues

The UAE's decision, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, highlights Arab doubts about the terms of a American-proposed resolution previously circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed security mission to be the primary means of imposing order in Gaza after Israel have left the region.

Arab states would prefer expanded responsibilities to be given to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. International law would also forbid foreign troops from deploying into contested Palestine unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and arguably stabilising an illegal presence.

Palestinian Perspectives and Calls for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan said: “It is essential that the force be deployed not to reinforce the illegal presence, but to enforce global standards and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of the Palestinian authorities, and has a defined goal to end the presence within the context of a sovereign Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the occupied territories in the US draft resolution, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israeli leadership rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Dangers

In-depth negotiations on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, started formally on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – risking the emergence of a vacuum in the strip that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it lead the force although it will not have a large number of personnel deployed on the terrain. It has previously in effect assumed command of the distribution of humanitarian aid into the territory from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Force Objectives and Administrative Role

The draft US resolution defines the aim of the stabilisation force as “along with the newly trained and screened police force to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the security environment in Gaza by guaranteeing the procedure of demilitarising the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of reconstructing the militant and hostile facilities as well as the permanent removal of arms from militant factions”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by the former US president, 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 mandate is too expansive, and if the group is to lay down arms, the group will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, signifies the conclusion of occupation.

They also worry the draft mandate spills into giving the mission a administrative role in the territory, a task that was to be reserved for a local technocratic committee working in cooperation with a reformed local government.

Aid Aspects and Funding Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would stay until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “underscores the significance” of full humanitarian aid in the territory, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

However, it allows for the exclusion of “any organisation determined to have improperly used such aid”. The wording leaves open the board of peace barring Unrwa, the organization that the global judicial body has said is the lawful provider of aid.

International Diplomatic Initiatives

France and Saudi representatives are currently advocating for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be added in the resolution. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the US presidential residence on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has stated that a mention to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to discuss the PA role.

Not the United Nations nor the 15 strong security council are given a oversight function over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a point mostly ignored by the draft text. Nothing is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, as per the Americans, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with the Kingdom assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Requests and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the US that it be allowed to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and reserve the authority to return to Gaza 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 son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss progress on the truce and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive later the same day.

Only the remains of a small number of the original hundreds of Israeli hostages are still not recovered.

Separately, Israel has been suggesting that the territory could yet be divided in two with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the Trump plan.