Saudi Arabia and eight Muslim-majority countries including Gaza mediators Qatar and Türkiye have agreed to join U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", the Saudi foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
In a joint statement, Riyadh announced the "shared decision" of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates to join the body to be chaired by Trump, saying they supported his "peace efforts" on the Gaza conflict.
Kuwait's foreign ministry later posted on X that the country had also accepted.
"The Ministers announce their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace,” said a joint statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
"Each country will sign the joining documents according to their respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, that have already announced to join," the statement said.
The ministers, it said, reaffirmed their countries’ support for the peace efforts led by Trump and reiterated their commitment to supporting the implementation of the mandate of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration, as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and endorsed by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803.
Invites were sent to dozens of world leaders with a request for $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board. The Saudi statement did not mention payment.
Although originally meant to oversee Gaza's rebuilding, the board's charter does not seem to limit its role to the Strip and appears to want to rival the United Nations, sparking the ire of some U.S. allies including France.
The move also comes at a time of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Both have sought to curry favour with the Trump administration with pledges of investment and business deals.
France has indicated it will not join the board but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invite, his office said on Wednesday.
However, he has objected to the inclusion of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi on a "Gaza Executive Board" operating under the body.
