U.S. President Donald Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he expects the kingdom to normalize ties with Jerusalem now that Washington brokered a ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported on Thursday.
The conversation took place over the phone last month, following the Gaza peace summit that was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct. 13, two U.S. officials were cited as saying under condition of anonymity.
Prince Mohammed is scheduled to meet with Trump in the White House on Tuesday, and the normalization issue is expected to be raised in the talks.
Trump is also expected to pledge a defense pact with the Saudis, although not for a full-fledged treaty, the report continued.
“Our message to the Saudis is: ‘We did all the things you asked for. Now, there are things President Trump wants, like normalization with Israel. So how are you guys going to move now in this direction?’” Axios quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.
However, the issue of a Palestinian state remains a large obstacle to formal relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis are reportedly demanding an “irreversible path” toward statehood that would be part of a normalization deal, which the government in Jerusalem strongly opposes.
According to the report, the Trump administration views the Gaza ceasefire and potential Palestinian Authority reforms as creating conditions for “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
Trump’s advisers are urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “look at the bigger picture” of a peace deal with Riyadh, attainable by going through with Trump’s peace plan.
On Saturday evening, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar tweeted in Hebrew that normalization with Saudi Arabia is “Israel’s top national interest and will change the future of the Middle East for generations to come.”
He added that a deal must uphold “the principles vital to Israel without recognizing a Palestinian state that would endanger our security.
“Israel as a security superpower operating together with the Gulf powers—that is the great nightmare of Israel’s enemies,” Zohar wrote.
Earlier this month, Israel Hayom reported that Israel and Saudi Arabia were expected to begin direct negotiations to lay the groundwork for establishing normalization, with mediation and support from the United States.
The talks were to involve Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and a small Israeli team, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Reema bint Bandar Al Saud and Prince Mohammed’s close advisers.
Dermer resigned from his position on Nov. 11 (effective Nov. 13), but he will remain involved in efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, and he will operate as a special envoy for Netanyahu.
