Qatar pushes back against Israeli criticism over its involvement, joins Abu Dhabi in endorsing plan as best option for Palestinians; Hamas officials said preparing to depart Gaza

The United Arab Emirates accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s newly proposed “Board of Peace,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, placing Abu Dhabi among the first governments to publicly endorse the initiative.

The ministry said the UAE stood ready to “contribute actively to the mission of the Board of Peace, supporting greater cooperation, stability, and prosperity for all,” marking a formal alignment with Washington’s new conflict‑resolution effort.

“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 realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said.

Abu Dhabi’s acceptance comes as governments worldwide react cautiously to Trump’s plan, which aims to begin with Gaza before widening to tackle other conflicts.

The Board of Peace was initially presented as a body that would exclusively oversee the postwar management of Gaza, and, in November, the UN Security Council voted to give it a two-year mandate to do so.

But its charter, obtained by The Times of Israel earlier this week, makes no mention of Gaza and appears to take a swipe at the UN, saying that the new board should have “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.”

The document was attached to invitations to join the board that were sent to dozens of world leaders on Friday, some of whom have since confirmed receiving the invitation, although few have publicly accepted it, and fewer still have declined.

Hours after Abu Dhabi said it would accept the invitation, the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that he, too, would join the board of peace.

Lukashenko is a close ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, whose invitation to join the board raised eyebrows in Europe.

On Tuesday, China confirmed that it had been invited to join the Board of Peace, but did not specify whether it would accept. “China has received the United States’ invitation,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.

In addition to the UAE and Belarus, Trump’s offer to join the Board of Peace has so far been accepted by Argentina, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Vietnam.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would soon decide whether to accept Trump’s invitation.

“We have received an invitation. Our president is being invited as a founding member, on behalf of Turkey, [and] will likely make his decision on this matter very soon,” Fidan said in a televised interview with state media.

Europe makes concerns known

Some leaders offered ambiguous responses to the invitation. 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.

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