US official: Over 25 countries have joined Board of Peace, which will first focus on Gaza

By Jacob Magid

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27 January 2026, 12:49 am

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff speaks after the signing of a Board of Peace charter during the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (AP/Evan Vucci)

A US official says in a briefing with reporters that more than 25 countries have agreed to join the Board of Peace. Earlier Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed “20 additional countries” had agreed to join Trump’s board, seemingly suggesting that this new group was on top of the roughly 20 that had already agreed to join last week.

A Times of Israel tally of official announcements from countries confirming decisions to join the Board of Peace stands at 26, including the United States itself. The other countries that have agreed to join are Argentina, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Nearly a dozen countries have indicated or explicitly rejected invites to join the Board of Peace, including, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom and Ukraine

Others have yet to respond to the invitation, including China, Croatia, Cyprus, India, the European Union, Russia and Singapore. The US has said some countries need to receive parliamentary approval before joining.

Asked about the scope of the Board of Peace, the US official briefing reporters says the first focus of the panel will be Gaza.

While the UN Security Council gave the Board of Peace a two-year mandate to oversee the postwar management of Gaza, the Trump-led body’s charter makes no mention of the Strip and indicates a desire to usurp the UN in global conflict resolution.

“If more opportunities arise for [the Board of Peace] to add value and try and achieve outcomes that are different than [what has been] achieved before… then that’s something that President Trump will consider,” the US official says.