Although U.S. President Donald Trump will not be visiting Israel during his Middle East trip, it is still very much in the center of discussions that the president will have with Arab leaders, who want to see the war in Gaza end.
The U.S. State Department told Saudi channel "Al-Sharq" that "Washington and Riyadh will sign important agreements during Trump's visit. We are discussing with Riyadh regarding ending the war in Gaza."
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
(Photo: Alex Brandon / AP)
According to a report in Reuters on Tuesday, normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel will not be discussed and is not a precondition of an American agreement to assist Riyadh in the development of a civilian nuclear program.
Keeping Israel out of the planned visit is seen as an indication of Trump's priorities, as already demonstrated in previous decisions. The United States opted to negotiate directly with Hamas and demanded the renewal of humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza.
It reached a ceasefire agreement with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but did not include a demand to stop the firing of missiles at Israel.
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It began direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program, which could result in a deal that would be bad for Israel and allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon while economic sanctions imposed on it are removed.
According to the Reuters news agency, the U.S. military was replacing its B-2 bombers with another type of bomber at a base in the Indo-Pacific that was seen as being in an ideal location to operate in the Middle East, amid a U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen and mounting tensions with Iran.
The message is that for Trump, the Gulf states are better and stronger friends than Israel under its current government," William Wechsler of the Atlantic Council, told the Associated Press.