Proposals for an international security mission authorized by the UN to demilitarize Hamas in Gaza are encountering growing resistance after the UAE stated it will not take part due to the lack of a clear legal framework.
Growing International Concerns
Israel have previously ruled out Turkish involvement, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has declared that Jordanian forces will not join. The Azerbaijani government, once considered as a possible contributor, did not attend a preparatory meeting in Turkey and indicated it would not contribute unless a full truce was in place.
Emirati officials does not yet see a defined structure for the stabilisation force and in this situation will not participate, but will support all diplomatic initiatives towards peace – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.
Arab Doubts and Juridical Issues
The Emirati announcement, delivered by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a forum in the UAE capital, reflects regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted resolution already circulated to delegates at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the primary means of ensuring order in the territory after Israeli forces have withdrawn from the region.
Arab states would prefer greater duties to be assigned to a distinct local civilian police force. International law would also prohibit external forces from entering occupied Palestinian territories unless there was explicit Palestinian consent; otherwise, the mission could be seen as imposed under international statutes, and potentially stabilising an unlawful Israeli occupation.
Local Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition
A Palestinian American co-author of the Palestinian armistice plan commented: “It is critical that the force be sent not to stabilise the illegal presence, but to enforce global standards and end it. The mission will work as long as it enters the entire disputed land, including the occupied territories, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the presence within the context of a sovereign Palestinian state.”
There is no mention to the West Bank in the American proposal, or to a Palestinian state, or a two-state solution, a outcome that Israel rejects.
Ongoing Discussions and Possible Dangers
Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force mandate, including its command and control, began formally on Thursday in New York, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a vacuum in Gaza that may empower militant factions.
The United States is proposing that it command the force although it will not have many troops deployed on the ground. It has already effectively assumed command of the distribution of humanitarian aid into the territory from a recently established logistical hub based in Israel.
Mission Mandate and Governance Role
The proposed US resolution defines the aim of the security mission as “along with the recently prepared and vetted law enforcement to assist in protecting border areas, secure the safety situation in Gaza by ensuring the procedure of disarming the Gaza Strip including the elimination and prevention of rebuilding the militant and hostile facilities as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from militant factions”.
The mission, reporting to a “peace council” led by the former US president, and not to the UN, would be required to use “any required actions” to achieve its goals.
Regional powers including Qatar are also concerned that this authority is too expansive, and if the group is to lay down arms, the group will solely do so to fellow Palestinians, likely in the civilian police force, at a time that, from the Hamas perspective, marks the conclusion of occupation.
They also fear the proposed authority extends to giving the stabilisation force a governance function in the territory, a task that was to be set aside for a Palestinian technocratic committee working in conjunction with a restructured local government.
Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Questions
This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has adequately completed its reform program, the satisfaction of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the proposal states. It also “emphasizes the significance” of full relief in Gaza, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the humanitarian organizations.
Nonetheless, it allows for the exclusion of “any organisation determined to have improperly used such assistance”. The wording leaves open the council barring Unrwa, the body that the global judicial body has ruled is the lawful distributor of assistance.
Global Diplomatic Efforts
French officials and Saudi Arabia are currently advocating for a reference to a Palestinian state to be included 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 said that a reference to a independent Palestine is a prerequisite.
The PA chair, Mahmoud Abbas, met the French leader, Emmanuel Macron, in the French capital on this week to review the PA role.
Not the United Nations nor the 15-member security council are given a oversight role over the stabilisation force, monitoring the implementation of the resolution, a aspect mostly ignored by the proposed document. Nothing is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be mostly borne by regional nations, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.
Israeli Demands and Local Developments
Israeli authorities is seeking formal assurances from the US that it be allowed to follow the pattern of Lebanon and reserve the right to return to the territory if it considers demilitarization is not occurring at a level or pace it demands.
The request was put to the former US advisor, Donald Trump’s relative, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in the Israeli capital on this week to discuss progress on the truce and Witkoff was due to arrive later the that day.
Only the remains of a small number of the original hundreds of captives remain not recovered.
Independently, Israeli officials has been suggesting that the Gaza Strip could still be divided in two with reconstruction work beginning in the Israel occupied areas of the region. Western diplomats insist that this is not part of the Trump plan.
