Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expects the United States to guarantee that negotiations for a Palestinian state will take place and conclude within five years, following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Public statements by Trump and the crown prince referred to a “clear path” toward establishing a Palestinian state, but Israeli officials interpreted the remarks as nonbinding. A formal American guarantee would make the Saudi vision for Palestinian statehood far more concrete.
bin Salman: We want to join the Abraham Accords, but we also want the two-state solution'
In conversations held in Washington after his meeting with Trump, the crown prince also made clear that he believes any international force planned for Gaza will not include troops from Arab or Muslim countries. His reasoning was that Muslim soldiers would not fight Hamas or disarm the group.
If Muslim nations will not take part, the question becomes who would. One possibility is that the international force will never be formed, or will emerge only as a limited, toothless framework similar to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The actors most likely to confront Hamas would remain those fighting it now: Israel and, to a lesser extent, the Palestinian Authority.
The crown prince’s triumphant visit to Washington marks a turning point for Saudi Arabia and a shift in American Middle East policy. His vision is sweeping, both for his own country and for the region.
During the meeting, held as Trump expressed willingness to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the two leaders also discussed Riyadh’s potential entry into the Abraham Accords and the normalization of ties with Israel. In the Oval Office, Trump praised the crown prince, saying the two had been close for some time. “I am very proud of the work he has done. It is amazing what he is doing on human rights,” Trump said. Speaking with reporters, Mohammed bin Salman lauded Trump’s contribution to “global peace” and said Saudi investments in the United States, previously planned at 600 billion dollars, would grow to one trillion.
That evening, Trump confirmed that Saudi Arabia would receive F-35 jets identical to those supplied to Israel and called the kingdom “a great ally, like Israel.” He said Israel would be “very happy” with the deal. The planned sale has raised major concerns in Israel because it would undermine its long-held qualitative military edge in the region.
The crown prince also came to Washington to finalize security guarantees from the United States. Trump announced that the two countries had reached a defense agreement, and the White House later said the president had also approved a deal to sell roughly 300 American tanks to Saudi Arabia.
Regarding potential Saudi entry into the Abraham Accords, Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom wishes to join but also “wants to ensure a path to a Palestinian state.” He emphasized support for a two-state solution and for peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.