'Pakistan Not Welcome': Israel Slams 'Terror Backers' After Sharif Joins Trump's Board Of Peace

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 22:52 IST

Israel's economy minister, Nir Barkat, called Pakistan among the backers of terrorism after Shehbaz Sharif joined Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Davos.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif joined Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Davos. (AP)

After Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined 20 countries in signing the founding charter of US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Israel made it clear that Islamabad was not welcome to play a role in Gaza’s peacekeeping forces.

Israel’s economy minister, Nir Barkat, called Pakistan among the backers of terrorism and said it was not welcome in Gaza. “Any country that supported terror is not welcome, and that includes Pakistan," he told NDTV at Davos.

While Barkat praised Donald Trump for the peace framework in Gaza, calling it better than the United Nations, he said, “We will not accept the Qataris, the Turks… and that includes Pakistan. They’ve been very supportive of the jihadi organisation in Gaza, and we will not trust them having boots on the ground."

This comes as Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to join the “Board of Peace" triggered sharp domestic backlash, exposing deep political, religious and ideological fault lines within the country. Opposition parties and Islamist groups, who have long supported an independent Palestinian state, questioned both the intent and the process behind the move.

Pakistan PM Under Pressure

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as one of the most vocal critics, arguing that a move of such geopolitical and moral consequence cannot ignore the will of Pakistan’s nearly 250 million people. It demanded a referendum and full scrutiny, framing the decision as a sign of public distrust towards the Shehbaz Sharif government and the civil-military nexus.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, chief of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and Leader of the Opposition in the Pak Senate, denounced the signing move as “morally incorrect and indefensible".

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the Pakistani leadership of committing “shirk" (the sin of idolatry) by prioritising the appeasement of Trump’s policies over religious and national principles. He asserted that the government’s haste to sign the Trump-led BoP charter—which he termed the “Occupation Board"—was done with “eyes closed".

Trump’s Board Of Peace

US President Donald Trump unveiled the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, where leaders of around 20 of the 60 countries invited were present. Trump indicated the board would extend its focus to other conflicts across the world beyond Gaza.

The countries that have so far accepted Trump’s invitation to join the board are Argentina, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

India has been invited to the board, but there has been no official reaction. The peace board is part of a US-backed and UN-supported plan to demilitarise and rebuild the territory after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

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