DUBAI: The UAE president and Bahrain’s king accepted on Tuesday an invitation to sit on US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’, joining a handful of countries to have endorsed the initiative.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates and fellow Gulf country Bahrain are top US allies in the region and among the Arab nations with official ties to Israel after signing the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term in 2020.

“Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has accepted the invitation from the United States to join the Board of Peace,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Bahraini foreign ministry said King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa “has accepted the invitation extended by His Exce­ll­ency President Donald Tr­u­mp of the friendly United States of America to join the ‘Board of Peace’”.

Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said, “The UAE’s decision reflects the importance of fully implementing President Donald J Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which is critical for the realisation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Also, a Turkish foreign ministry source said, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed on Tuesday Trump’s Board of Peace initiative as well as recent developments in Syria in a phone call.

Some leaders offered ambiguous responses. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country was “ready to do our part”, while Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa had “agreed in principle” pending further details.

The inclusion of a ‘charter’ in the invitation letter triggered concerns among some European states that it could undermine the UN that Trump accused of “not supporting” his efforts “to end conflicts” in the world.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2026