WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has shown himself fundamentally open to improving relations between his country and the Arab countries in the Middle East with Israel. At a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House, he announced that they wanted to become part of the Abraham Accords to normalize relations. In this context, however, he insisted on a path to a two-state solution, according to which, in addition to Israel, there should also be an independent Palestinian state in the future. However, Israel rejects a Palestinian state.
It is therefore unclear whether relations with Israel will actually be normalized. Trump said they discussed the Abraham Accords. He has a good feeling and thinks he got a positive answer.
A few days before his meeting with the heir to the Saudi throne, the US President told journalists: “I hope that Saudi Arabia will join the agreements in the near future.”
Abraham Accords were considered a historic breakthrough
Trump launched the Abraham Accords, with which several Arab states normalized relations with Israel, in 2020 during his first term in office. At the time, this was considered a historic breakthrough. The agreement was named after the biblical figure Abraham because he also represents the connection between world religions.
The agreements are about promoting tolerance, reducing radicalization and conflict and a vision towards security, prosperity and peace in the Middle East.
Kazakhstan, which is predominantly Muslim, also recently joined the agreement. However, this was seen as a symbolic step because the former Soviet republic has had diplomatic relations with Israel for decades. The US President emphasized at the time that Kazakhstan was the first country in his second term to join the Abraham Accords – “the first of many.”
Ambivalent relationship
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel is ambivalent. On the one hand, Saudi Arabia, as the guardian of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, feels a special obligation to show solidarity with its brothers and sisters in the Palestinian territories. On the other hand, the Saudis share geopolitical interests with Israel. The two are united by the fear of a stronger or even nuclear-armed Iran./rin/DP/he