In a major diplomatic development, eight prominent Muslim-majority nations jointly announced on Wednesday that they would join US President Donald Trump’s new diplomatic initiative, the ‘Board of Peace’. This bloc, which includes Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, issued a collective statement confirming their participation. The inclusion of Saudi Arabia is particularly notable. While the Trump administration had publicly pressured Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join, Riyadh had remained noncommittal until this coordinated announcement.
However, their participation comes with a significant political caveat that challenges the Board’s foundational text. While the Board’s proposed charter makes no mention of Palestinian statehood, the Saudi-led bloc explicitly declared that its involvement is aimed at “advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood”. This sets up an immediate ideological conflict within the Board, as these nations are using their membership to push for sovereignty outcomes that the US-drafted charter does not guarantee.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also agreed to join the Board on Wednesday, a move confirmed shortly before Trump’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The decision followed a period of diplomatic friction, during which Netanyahu’s office initially criticised the initiative. His primary objection concerned the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, a subsidiary body tasked with the day-to-day management of the territory. Netanyahu was unhappy that Turkey and Qatar were invited to the Executive Board. Netanyahu’s office complained that the appointment of Turkey, a regional rival, and Qatar, a host to Hamas officials, was “not coordinated with Israel” and ran “contrary to its policy”.
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By joining the Trump Board, Netanyahu risks further destabilising his governing coalition. Far-right ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich have openly rejected the US-backed plan, arguing that Israel should retain unilateral control over Gaza rather than ceding authority to an international body. Moreover, Israel has conditioned its cooperation with the plan’s second phase, reconstruction, on Hamas surrendering the body of the last dead hostage.
The Board of Peace is a new international organisation mandated by a UN Security Council resolution to oversee the Gaza crisis until the end of 2027. The initiative is structured to bypass traditional diplomatic channels, with Donald Trump serving as chairman for life. The funding model of the Board seems controversial. While standard membership terms are limited to three years, nations can secure a permanent seat by contributing $1 billion in cash funds within the first year of the charter’s entry into force. Operational power, meanwhile, lies largely with the Gaza Executive Board.
International reactions have been sharply divided. European nations have largely opposed the initiative, viewing it as a threat to the established international order. France, Norway and Sweden have declined invitations, with French officials stating they support the peace plan but not an organisation designed to “replace the United Nations”.
Trump, meanwhile, claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to join, although the Kremlin has been more circumspect, stating it is still “studying the details”. The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo has been invited, though a decision is pending. Meanwhile, other nations such as Argentina, Hungary and Belarus have agreed to participate.
The creation of the Board of Peace signals a potential shift away from the United Nations as the primary forum for conflict resolution. Trump has explicitly suggested the Board might replace the UN, which he criticised as having “never lived up to its potential”.
For the Middle East, the Board creates a complex new reality in which sworn enemies must cooperate within a US-led framework. The Gaza Executive Board forces Israel to work directly with a Turkey-Qatar axis that holds executive power over Gaza’s reconstruction. Simultaneously, the Saudi-led bloc’s insistence on Palestinian statehood suggests the Board will become a battleground for competing visions of the region’s future.