🔗 Share this article

Plans for an international security mission authorized by the UN to demilitarize the militant group in Gaza are facing increasing opposition after the United Arab Emirates stated it will not join due to the lack of a well-defined legal structure.

Increasing International Reservations

Israeli authorities have already ruled out Turkey participation, and Jordan's King Abdullah has stated that his country's forces will not join. Azerbaijan, previously mooted as a potential participant, was absent from a planning meeting in Turkey and said it would not take part unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

Emirati officials lacks clarity on a defined structure for the stabilisation force and in this situation will not participate, but backs all diplomatic efforts towards resolution – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Doubts and Juridical Concerns

The UAE's decision, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the provisions of a American-proposed resolution previously circulated to delegates at the UN in NYC. The draft assigns responsibility on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the primary means of imposing security in Gaza after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the territory.

Regional governments would prefer expanded responsibilities to be given to a distinct Palestinian law enforcement agency. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit external forces from entering contested Palestine unless there was clear Palestinian consent; without it, the force could be viewed as coercive under UN law, and potentially stabilising an illegal presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is essential that the mission be deployed not to stabilise the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and end it. The force will work as long as it operates in the entire occupied territory, including the West Bank, at the request of Palestine, and has a defined objective to conclude the occupation within the framework of a independent Palestinian state.”

There is no reference to the occupied territories in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a peaceful resolution, a outcome that Israel rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force authority, including its command and control, started formally on last week in the UN headquarters, and appear to be protracted – risking the emergence of a power gap in Gaza that may empower militant factions.

The United States is suggesting that it lead the mission although it will not have a large number of troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively assumed command of the distribution of relief supplies into Gaza from a new logistical hub based in Israel.

Mission Objectives and Administrative Function

The draft US resolution outlines the aim of the security mission as “together with the newly trained and screened law enforcement to assist in protecting border areas, stabilise the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the process of disarming the Gaza Strip including the destruction and blocking of rebuilding the militant and offensive infrastructure as well as the lasting decommissioning of weapons from militant factions”.

The force, answerable to a “board of peace” led by Donald Trump, and not to the United Nations, would be mandated to use “any required actions” to achieve its objectives.

Regional powers including Qatari officials are also concerned that this authority is overly broad, and if Hamas is to lay down arms, the group will only do so to local counterparts, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas viewpoint, marks the end of Israeli presence.

They also fear the proposed authority extends to giving the mission a governance function in Gaza, a responsibility that was to be set aside for a local technocratic committee working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Aid Aspects and Financial Questions

This “interim authority” in Gaza would stay until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately finished its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft says. It also “emphasizes the significance” of full relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the ICRC, and the Red Crescent.

However, it allows for the removal of “any organisation found to have misused such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the council excluding Unrwa, the body that the international court of justice has ruled is the legal provider of assistance.

Global Political Efforts

French officials and Saudi Arabia are already advocating for a reference to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, 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 prerequisite.

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

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are given a supervisory role over the mission, monitoring the implementation of the proposal, a aspect largely overlooked by the draft text. No details is outlined about the financing of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly covered by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia assuming primary responsibility.

Israel's Requests and Regional Developments

Israel is requesting written guarantees from the US that it be allowed to follow the pattern of the Lebanese situation and retain the authority to return to Gaza if it believes demilitarization is not taking place at a level or pace it requires.

The Israeli proposal was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on Monday to review developments on the truce and the envoy was scheduled to appear later the that day.

Only the bodies of four of the initial 251 captives remain unreturned.

Independently, Israeli officials has been proposing that the territory could yet be split in two with reconstruction work starting in the Israeli-controlled parts of the region. International officials insist that this is no part of the former US administration's proposal.