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Proposals for an international stabilisation force authorized by the UN to disarm the militant group in Gaza are facing increasing opposition after the United Arab Emirates announced it would not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal framework.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that Jordanian troops will not participate. The Azerbaijani government, once mooted as a possible participant, did not attend a planning meeting in Istanbul and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was established.

Emirati officials does not yet see a defined structure for the stabilisation force and in this situation declines involvement, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Skepticism and Legal Concerns

The Emirati announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab reservations about the terms of a US-drafted resolution previously distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing security in the territory after Israel have left the region.

Arab states would like expanded responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct local law enforcement agency. International law would also forbid external forces from deploying into occupied Palestine unless there was clear local approval; without it, the force could be seen as imposed under UN law, and arguably stabilising an illegal presence.

Local Perspectives and Appeals for Clarity

A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to reinforce the unlawful Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will succeed as long as it operates in the entire disputed land, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the presence within the framework of a independent state of Palestine.”

The draft contains no reference to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a prospect that Israel rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Potential Dangers

In-depth talks on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, started formally on Thursday in New York, and appear to be lengthy – risking the development of a vacuum in the strip that may empower Hamas.

The United States is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of troops involved on the terrain. It has previously in effect assumed command of the delivery of relief supplies into Gaza from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.

Force Objectives and Governance Role

The proposed American document outlines the aim of the stabilisation force as “together with the recently prepared and screened law enforcement to assist in protecting frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the territory including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the military terror and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting removal of weapons from militant factions”.

The force, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be required to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its objectives.

Arab states including Qatar are also worried that this authority is overly broad, and if the group is to lay down arms, the group will solely do so to local counterparts, likely in the local law enforcement, at a moment that, from the militant perspective, signifies the end of Israeli presence.

They also worry the draft mandate extends to giving the mission a administrative role in the territory, a task that was to be reserved for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in cooperation with a restructured Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Considerations and Funding Questions

This “interim authority” in Gaza would remain until “the local government has satisfactorily finished its reform program, the approval of which shall be acceptable to the board of peace”, the proposal says. It also “emphasizes the significance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the humanitarian organizations.

Nonetheless, it allows for the removal of “any group determined to have misused such aid”. The phrase permits the council barring Unrwa, the organization that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful provider of aid.

Global Political Initiatives

France and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be added in the document. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the US presidential residence on 18 November, and Manal Radwan has stated that a reference to a independent Palestine is a requirement.

The Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to discuss the PA role.

Not the United Nations nor the 15-member UNSC are given a oversight function over the stabilisation force, supervising the execution of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. Nothing is outlined about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, as per the Americans, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israeli Demands and Local Situations

Israeli authorities is seeking written guarantees from the United States that it be permitted to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the authority to re-enter the territory if it considers demilitarization is not taking place at a scale or pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was presented to the former US advisor, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to review progress on the ceasefire and Witkoff was scheduled to arrive later the that day.

Just the remains of four of the original 251 Israeli hostages remain not recovered.

Separately, Israel has been suggesting that the territory could still be split in two with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israel occupied areas of the strip. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.