8 Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, announce joint decision to join the board of peace

According to a report by the Times of Israel on Wednesday 21 January 2026, eight influential Muslim-majority countries said Wednesday that they will join US President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, marking a coordinated diplomatic step that had been weeks in the making.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will each name a representative to the panel, according to a joint announcement released by their foreign ministers. The group brings together regional heavyweights alongside countries with broader influence across the Muslim world.

Some of the decisions were expected. Egypt, Pakistan and the UAE had already indicated they were on board. Others, however, had been taking their time. Saudi Arabia’s move was especially closely watched. Trump had openly pressed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to participate, but Riyadh had kept its position quiet until now.

The Board of Peace itself was established under a UN Security Council mandate and is tasked with overseeing postwar governance in Gaza through the end of 2027. Still, US officials have made no secret of their broader ambitions, seeing the panel as a potential tool for mediating conflicts beyond Gaza as well.

In practice, the board is not expected to meet often, with only a few sessions planned each year. Day-to-day decisions related to Gaza are likely to fall instead to a smaller Gaza Executive Board, which was unveiled on Friday. That group also includes representatives from Turkey, Qatar, the UAE and the United States.

In their statement announcing the decision, the eight countries emphasized a shared political framework, saying they support “advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region.”