Axios reports Trump told MBS the Gaza war is over and he now expects Saudi Arabia to move toward peace with Israel. US officials hope for progress ahead of next week’s White House meeting.
US President Donald Trump urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to move toward normalization with Israel during a phone call last month, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two senior US officials. The conversation, which had not been previously disclosed, took place following the Gaza peace summit in Egypt.
According to a US official with direct knowledge of the call, Trump told MBS he had succeeded in ending the war in Gaza and now expected Saudi Arabia to take steps toward normalization. MBS reportedly responded that he was willing to work on the matter with the Trump administration. The Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment. According to Axios, US officials are hoping for progress on the issue ahead of next week’s Trump-MBS meeting at the White House, though they acknowledge that significant gaps remain between the Saudi and Israeli positions.
While the Trump administration has made repeated overtures to Riyadh, hoping to convince it to join the Abraham Accords, Saudi officials have long stated that a Palestinian state would be a condition for Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia and Israel appeared to be on track towards normalization before Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. After the massacre, Saudi Arabia put the US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel on ice. (Read More)
