Saudi Crown Prince โmohammed binโข salman rebuffed aโ direct appeal from former U.S. President Donald Trump to join teh Abraham Accords, prioritizing the establishment of a Palestinian state as a precondition for normalizing relations with Israel.
The November 18th meeting in the โขoval Office saw Trump “strongly urge” the Saudi Crown Prince,โข known asโ MBS, to sign onto the Accords-the U.S.-brokered agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations. However, MBS “pushed โขback” when pressed, according to reports โfrom Axios, โwhich cited multiple U.S. officials. The exchange underscores the enduring centrality of the Palestinian issue โคto Saudi ArabiaS foreignโข policy and highlights a point of divergence between the two leaders.
This rejection carries significant implications for the future โคof the Abraham Accords and the broader landscape of Middle East diplomacy. While the Accords represented a major diplomatic โachievement for theโ Trump administration, their expansion hinges on securing buy-in from key regional โplayers like Saudi โคArabia.MBS’s insistence on a pathway to Palestinian statehood signals that โfurther normalization will require tangible progress on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-a challenge thatโ hasโ stymied peace effortsโ for decades.
MBS arrived in Washington D.C. on anโ official working โvisit at the invitation of Trump, following โคdirection from King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Following a warm welcome, MBS publicly stated his country’s desire to normalizeโฃ relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords, but reiterated that Palestinian statehood remains a critical prerequisite.โค
“Aโข ‘clear โคpath’ โto the creation of a Palestinian state was needed before normalization could take place,” MBS stated. When Trump suggested his guests had a “vrey good feeling” about the Accords, the Crown Prince โresponded, “We wantโฃ peace โคfor Israel.โฃ We want peace for Palestine. We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do our best to make this happen.”
Riyadh has consistently โemphasizedโ the necessity of a just resolution to the conflict, beginning with โขthe establishment of an self-reliant โPalestinian state, as a foundation for thorough and lasting regional peace. Two U.S.officials described MBS as a “strong leader” following the meeting, โฃas reported by Axios.
