YONI BEN MENACHEM -- US President Donald Trump is set to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday, in a meeting that could influence the advancement of Washington’s Middle East peace strategy.
Senior security officials note that despite Saudi Arabia’s position as the leader of the Sunni world, it has so far kept its distance from Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Trump chose to work more closely with Qatar and Turkey—seen as aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood—in an attempt to pressure Hamas to accept the plan and release the Israeli hostages. Saudi Arabia, a fierce opponent of both the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, views both as terrorist organizations.
According to senior political officials, during the Biden administration Israel and Saudi Arabia were close to signing a normalization agreement, but Hamas, backed by Iran, sabotaged the process with the October 7 attack.
The prolonged Gaza war and the high cost to the Gazans have cooled Saudi enthusiasm for normalization. Saudi public opinion opposes it, and the expected Qatari–Turkish role in Gaza clashes with Riyadh’s interests. Still, Trump officials believe that a ceasefire in Gaza and a regional peace plan—including a roadmap toward a possible Palestinian state—could move the kingdom toward a more flexible stance.