🔗 Share this article

Plans for an multinational stabilisation force authorized by the United Nations to disarm the militant group in Gaza are facing increasing opposition after the UAE announced it will not take part due to the absence of a well-defined legal structure.

Growing Global Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously excluded Turkey participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian troops will not participate. Azerbaijan, previously mooted as a potential participant, was absent from a preparatory meeting in Turkey and said it would not contribute unless a complete truce was established.

The UAE lacks clarity on a clear framework for the stabilisation mission and under such circumstances declines involvement, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The Emirati announcement, delivered by senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution already circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The draft assigns responsibility on a American-led stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing order in the territory after Israeli forces have left the territory.

Arab states would prefer greater responsibilities to be assigned to a distinct Palestinian civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit external forces from deploying into occupied Palestinian territories unless there was clear local approval; without it, the force could be viewed as imposed under international statutes, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Clarity

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the mission be deployed not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold international law and terminate it. The force will work as long as it operates in the whole occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the presence within the context of a sovereign 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 outcome that Israeli leadership opposes.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Risks

Detailed talks on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, began formally on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be lengthy – potentially creating the development of a power gap in Gaza that may strengthen Hamas.

The United States is proposing that it lead the force although it will not have many personnel involved on the ground. It has already effectively taken control of the distribution of relief supplies into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in the neighboring country.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Function

The proposed US resolution defines the purpose of the stabilisation force as “together with the newly trained and vetted police force to help secure frontier zones, stabilise the safety situation in the region by guaranteeing the process of demilitarising the territory including the elimination and blocking of rebuilding the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the permanent decommissioning of arms from non-state armed groups”.

The force, reporting to a “peace council” led by Donald Trump, and not to the UN, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also concerned that this authority is too expansive, and if Hamas is to lay down arms, the faction will only do so to fellow Palestinians, probably in the local law enforcement, at a time that, from the militant perspective, signifies the end of occupation.

They also fear the draft mandate spills into granting the stabilisation force a administrative function in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be reserved for a local expert panel working in cooperation with a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Questions

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately completed its restructuring plan, the satisfaction of which shall be acceptable to the BoP”, the proposal says. It also “underscores the importance” of unhindered relief in Gaza, including through the UN, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

Nonetheless, it opens the door the exclusion of “any group found to have misused such assistance”. The wording leaves open the board of peace barring Unrwa, the organization that the international court of justice has said is the lawful provider of assistance.

Global Diplomatic Initiatives

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a mention to a Palestinian state to be included in the resolution. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is due in the White House on the specified date, and a Saudi foreign ministry official has stated that a mention to a Palestinian state is a prerequisite.

The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, held talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on Monday to discuss the authority's function.

Not the United Nations nor the 15-member UNSC are given a supervisory function over the stabilisation force, supervising the implementation of the resolution, a point largely overlooked by the draft text. No details is outlined about the financing of this security operation, which, according to the US officials, should be largely borne by Gulf states, with the Kingdom taking the lead.

Israeli Requests and Regional Situations

Israel is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be permitted to emulate the model of the Lebanese situation and reserve the authority to re-enter the territory if it considers disarmament is not occurring at a level or pace it demands.

The Israeli proposal was presented to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss developments on the truce and Witkoff was due to arrive subsequently the that day.

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

Separately, Israeli officials has been proposing that the territory could still be divided in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israeli-controlled parts of the strip. Western diplomats insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.