Riyadh: Ahead of its high profile meeting with United States President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia has made clear that it will not establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel unless there is a credible path toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to meet President Trump on November 18 in Washington. While the talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including security and economic cooperation, officials from Riyadh have repeated that normalization with Israel remains tied to progress on Palestinian statehood.
According to Saudi sources quoted by Reuters, the kingdom is firm in its view that normalization without meaningful movement toward a two state solution would be politically unacceptable. The kingdom, which holds custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, faces strong regional and domestic sensitivities regarding the Palestinian cause.
The upcoming discussions between the United States and Saudi Arabia are also expected to include a revised defense agreement. This deal is likely to be a reduced version of the comprehensive defense pact originally sought by Riyadh. Experts suggest that the agreement would focus on closer military cooperation and technology sharing rather than a full treaty that requires approval from the United States Congress.
President Trump has been working to expand the Abraham Accords, the 2020 framework that saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalize relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia’s participation would be a major diplomatic success for Washington and a significant step in reshaping Middle Eastern alliances. However, the kingdom’s insistence on the creation of a Palestinian state remains a major obstacle to such an achievement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to oppose significant concessions toward Palestinian sovereignty, creating a difficult gap between Israel’s position and Saudi Arabia’s conditions. United States officials remain cautiously hopeful that a gradual approach could emerge, beginning with defense and economic cooperation, followed by normalization once progress on Palestinian statehood becomes visible.
Regional observers say the timing of these talks is important. With ongoing tensions in Gaza and rising anger across the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is trying to balance its strategic goals with its role as a leading Arab and Islamic nation.
Although Washington is optimistic about a possible breakthrough, experts believe that formal normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is unlikely soon. Instead, both sides may focus on smaller agreements such as defense coordination and trade while leaving the larger political questions for later discussions.
For now, Saudi Arabia’s position remains unchanged. Any formal ties with Israel will depend on real and visible progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.