🔗 Share this article

Plans for an multinational stabilisation force mandated by the United Nations to demilitarize Hamas in the Gaza Strip are encountering increasing opposition after the UAE stated it will not take part due to the lack of a well-defined legal framework.

Growing International Concerns

Israeli authorities have previously ruled out Turkish participation, and the Jordanian King Abdullah has stated that his country's troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a possible contributor, was absent from a planning session in Turkey and indicated it would not contribute unless a complete ceasefire was in place.

The UAE lacks clarity on a clear framework for the stabilisation force and in this situation will not participate, but will support all diplomatic efforts towards peace – and stay at the forefront of humanitarian aid.

Arab Skepticism and Juridical Concerns

The UAE's announcement, made by diplomatic representative Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in the UAE capital, highlights regional reservations about the provisions of a US-drafted document previously distributed to delegates at the UN in New York. The proposal places an onus on a American-led stabilisation force to be the principal means of ensuring order in Gaza after Israel have withdrawn from the territory.

Arab states would prefer greater responsibilities to be given to a distinct local civilian police force. Global jurisprudence would also prohibit foreign troops from deploying into contested Palestine unless there was explicit local approval; otherwise, the force could be viewed as coercive under international statutes, and potentially reinforcing an illegal presence.

Palestinian Viewpoints and Appeals for Definition

Jamal Nusseibeh of the ceasefire proposal said: “It is critical that the force be deployed not to reinforce the illegal Israeli occupation, but to uphold global standards and terminate it. The force will work as long as it enters the whole disputed land, including the West Bank, at the invitation of Palestine, and has a defined goal to conclude the occupation within the context of a independent Palestinian state.”

There is no mention to the occupied territories in the American proposal, or to a sovereign Palestine, or a peaceful resolution, a prospect that Israel rejects.

Ongoing Discussions and Possible Dangers

Detailed negotiations on the stabilisation force mandate, including its leadership structure, started formally on Thursday in the UN headquarters, and look likely to be protracted – potentially creating the emergence of a power gap in the strip that may empower Hamas.

The US is suggesting that it command the mission although it will not have a large number of personnel involved on the ground. It has already in effect taken control of the distribution of relief supplies into the territory from a recently established civil military coordination centre based in the neighboring country.

Force Objectives and Administrative Role

The draft American document defines the aim of the security mission as “along with the recently prepared and screened law enforcement to help secure border areas, secure the safety situation in Gaza by guaranteeing the process of disarming the territory including the elimination and prevention of reconstructing the military terror and hostile facilities as well as the lasting removal of arms from militant factions”.

The mission, reporting to a “board of peace” chaired by the former US president, and not to the United Nations, would be mandated to use “all necessary measures” to fulfill its objectives.

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

They also worry the draft mandate extends to granting the stabilisation force a governance role in the territory, a task that was to be set aside for a local expert panel working in conjunction with a reformed local government.

Humanitarian Aspects and Financial Questions

This “transitional governance administration” in the strip would remain until “the Palestinian Authority has satisfactorily completed its restructuring plan, the approval of which shall be approved to the BoP”, the draft states. It also “emphasizes the significance” of unhindered relief in the territory, including through the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.

However, it opens the door the removal of “any group determined to have misused such assistance”. The phrase leaves open the board of peace excluding Unrwa, the organization that the global judicial body has ruled is the legal provider of assistance.

International Diplomatic Efforts

French officials and Saudi representatives are already advocating for a mention to a sovereign Palestine to be included in the document. The Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, is scheduled in the White House on the specified date, and Manal Radwan has said 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 review the authority's function.

Not the UN nor the 15 strong security council are assigned a oversight role over the mission, supervising the implementation of the resolution, a aspect largely overlooked by the proposed document. No details is specified about the funding of this security operation, which, as per the US officials, should be mostly borne by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.

Israel's Requests and Regional Situations

Israeli authorities is requesting formal assurances from the United States that it be allowed to emulate the model of Lebanon and retain the right to return to the territory if it believes demilitarization is not occurring at a level or speed it requires.

The request was put to Jared Kushner, the ex-president's son-in-law, and the American diplomat, Steve Witkoff. Kushner was in Jerusalem on this week to discuss progress on the truce and the envoy was due to appear later the same day.

Only the remains of a small number of the initial 251 captives are still unreturned.

Independently, Israeli officials has been proposing that the Gaza Strip could still be divided in two parts with rebuilding efforts starting in the Israeli-controlled areas of the region. International officials maintain that this is not part of the Trump plan.