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U.S. President Donald Trump Shifts Focus from Israeli-Saudi Normalization to Business Deals in Riyadh

In Riyadh, the U.S. President shifts emphasis from business to commercial ventures, signaling a departure from Biden's policy which emphasized Saudi Arabian-Israeli diplomatic relations.

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In the heart of Riyadh, the American President highlights commercial matters, moving away from...
In the heart of Riyadh, the American President highlights commercial matters, moving away from Biden's strategy that emphasized Saudi-Arabian-Israeli relations.

U.S. President Donald Trump Shifts Focus from Israeli-Saudi Normalization to Business Deals in Riyadh

Buck Wild in DC — Trump's Away from Israel's Side

Washington, DC — President Donald Trump is stirring up a storm in the Middle East, dreaming of a united Saudi Arabia and Israel, but wants the former to take the leap at its own pace.

Last week, a flurry of agreements worth hundreds of billions of dollars between the US and Saudi Arabia in defense and economy sectors were unveiled. Surprisingly absent was any mention of Israel in these announcements.

Assistant Editor's Pick:Saudi Arabia remains steadfast in its position that normalization with Israel can only occur if it results in an irreversible path towards Palestinian statehood, a stance it reaffirmed by early 2025[2][3].

The "normalization" between Israel and Saudi Arabia was a significant aspect of Biden's Middle East policy, but Trump is now focusing on other matters, analysts observed.

"It appears that the Trump administration is moving ahead on key economic and defense deals with Saudi Arabia, independent of the condition of Saudi-Israel normalization," said Anna Jacobs, a fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute.

"This likely reflects the frustrations in the Trump administration with Israel's military actions across the region, especially in Gaza," Jacobs added.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute, agreed. He pointed out that Trump realizes the current climate in Gaza and Israel's refusal to negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state make an Israeli-Saudi pact impossible, at least for now.

During Trump's first term, he managed to secure the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE, bypassing the Palestinian issue. However, these agreements failed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as seen in the conflict that erupted in Gaza in October 2023. Even before this conflict began, Israel was intensifying military attacks on Palestinians and expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank, further complicating the road to a two-state solution.

Bonus Tidbit:Despite the limited success of the Abraham Accords, Biden aimed to add Saudi Arabia to the list, making it a cornerstone of his Middle East policy. However, no agreement was reached, even as the Gaza war raged[5].

Biden had expressed, without evidence, that Hamas launched its October 7 attack against Israel in 2023 to sabotage an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Despite this, Biden claimed before leaving office that his Middle East policies created a platform for "the future of normalization and integration of Israel with its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia."

Yet, neither Biden's deal nor Trump's recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE include Israel. Experts argue that this dissociation indicates unease in the US-Israeli alliance, with Trump prioritizing commercial and strategic ties with Gulf states over Israel's seemingly endless conflict.

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Elgindy from Georgetown University noted that Saudi Arabia has publicly condemned Israeli atrocities in Gaza as a "genocide." "The Saudis aren't pulling any punches; they're speaking openly," Elgindy said. "They can't move towards normalization with Israel after accusing Israel of genocide."

Trump's disregard for Israel is also evident in his handling of Iran's nuclear program. During Netanyahu's visit to the White House, Trump revealed ongoing talks with Iran, despite Netanyahu's opposition to negotiating with Tehran. Last week, Trump also declared a ceasefire with the Houthis, stating no demands for an end to their attacks against Israel.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued military aid to Israel, even as Israel escalates its bombing campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. He has also continued his crackdown on critics of Israel, particularly on college campuses.

While some analysts view this as merely a minor setback in the US-Israeli relationship, others argue that it signals a significant shift away from the alignment of US and Israeli interests[1]. Whether this change in US policy towards Israel and the Middle East proves temporary or long-lasting remains to be seen.

Sources:

  1. Al Jazeera
  2. The Arab Gulf States Institute
  3. The Jerusalem Post
  4. The New Yorker
  5. Brookings
  6. The ongoing disagreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, regarding an irreversible path towards Palestinian statehood, may persist until early 2025, as reaffirmed by Saudi Arabia.[2][3]
  7. The Trump administration's focus on economic and defense deals with Saudi Arabia without any condition related to Israeli-Saudi normalization has been observed by analysts, possibly due to the frustrations in the administration with Israeli military actions across the region.[4]
  8. As the war in Gaza intensified, Biden expressed, without evidence, that Hamas launched its attack against Israel to sabotage an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.[5]
  9. The recent absence of Israel in Trump's deals, even during his visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, has led experts to argue that this dissociation indicates unease in the US-Israeli alliance, with Trump prioritizing commercial and strategic ties with Gulf states over Israel's seemingly endless conflict.[6]

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