Trump to Host Saudi Crown Prince Amid Efforts for Normalization with Israel

President Donald Trump is set to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House this week. This visit comes as part of ongoing attempts to strengthen relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Trump has been advocating for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, which were first introduced in 2020 to establish peaceful ties between Israel and neighboring Arab nations.

“The Abraham Accords will be a part we’re going to be discussing,” Trump mentioned on Friday. “I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly.”

According to a CNN report, the visit will include a welcome ceremony and a formal dinner.

“We’re more than meeting,” Trump stated. “We’re honoring Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince.”

However, it’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia is linking any normalization efforts with Israel to the establishment of a Palestinian state—a demand that Israel is currently resistant to.

The 20-point ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, led by Trump, may just bring Saudi Arabia closer to recognizing Israel, as it hints at a possible avenue toward Palestinian statehood.

A U.S. official commented that the most likely outcome of the meeting might involve the crown prince endorsing Trump’s peace proposal as a foundation for a sovereign Palestinian state and openly considering the Abraham Accords.

“Trump showing openness and even support for a Palestinian state could go a long way in his hopes of inching [Mohammed bin Salman] toward normalization,” said John Hannah, a former national security advisor.

Even as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds, there are growing concerns regarding Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed worry that such violence could “undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.”

“As long as the scenes on Saudi television continue to be scenes of devastation and misery in Gaza, I think it’s going to be very hard for [Mohammed bin Salman] to move in this direction,” added Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “That said, I also believe that there are things that the Saudis can do, as they’ve done in the past, to advance the process of normalization across the region.”

On a different note, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that Israel’s stance against a Palestinian state has “not changed one bit.” He further stated that external pressures do not influence Israel’s position, saying, “I do not need affirmations, tweets, or lectures from anyone.”

In addition to these discussions, Trump and Salman are expected to touch upon a defense deal, as Saudi Arabia is interested in acquiring F-35 stealth fighter jets.

“They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump noted. “I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ‘35’ – but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.”