The United States has sidelined Israeli demands for normalisation of bilateral trade relations with Saudi Arabia as it inches closer to securing a historic trade deal with the Kingdom following Trump's arrival in Riyadh today.
The US has been trying hard to pressure Saudi Arabia to accept the Israeli state for almost eight years, and with Trump at the helm of affairs, the kingdom had almost certainly announced normalising relations with Israel.
However, the Israeli invasion of Gaza intensified after the October 7 attack; the Saudis rejected and backtracked from the deal, saying, “They will not proceed further over what Israel has been doing in Gaza.”
It is exactly eight years “to the day” since Trump’s first visit to the kingdom, says Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the London-based think tank Chatham House.
But the US president is returning to “a very different Middle East,” writes Vakil, where Gulf leaders have “entered a new era of pragmatic diplomacy” and are asserting their autonomy and maturity in foreign relations.
Princess Reema bint Bandar highlighted the enduring relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US as the president arrived in the Kingdom on Tuesday.
“It is a moment pivotal for global peace, security, and prosperity,” Princess Reema wrote in one of the prominent US dailies on May 12. “Today, as the world navigates new challenges and conflicts, that partnership is more critical than ever.”
Also read: US, Israel weaponising Gaza aid through private contractors: UN
Trump, being one of the top business icons himself, regardless of the controversies, is cleverly navigating through the complex arena of the Middle Eastern region as he looks all set to sign some of the historic deals with three of the richest states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
Therefore, a big diplomatic breakthrough should not be expected in terms of Israel and Saudi normalisation, as Riyadh “cannot support any normalisation unless it is tied to a political horizon for Palestinian statehood,” Vakil wrote.
The “trip will certainly showcase Trump’s desire to strike headline bilateral deals—and the Gulf States’ global, economic, and regional ambitions.
But it is important to mention if such a spectacle can deliver meaningful economic dividends and much-needed diplomatic progress over geopolitical issues that shape and reshape the balances in the region.
Follow us
