As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prepares for his first official trip to the United States in seven years—set for mid-November 2025—the visit is expected to highlight the kingdom’s pursuit of stronger security assurances and advanced technological cooperation from Washington.
Meanwhile, despite President Donald Trump’s strong push for a swift normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which he hopes to conclude by the end of the year, the crown prince remains firm in his stance: no agreement will move forward unless there is tangible and irreversible progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. That condition appears increasingly out of reach given the current political landscape in Israel.
President Trump, fresh off his role in negotiating a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, has expressed high confidence in achieving another foreign policy milestone. In interviews, including one with Time magazine on 15 October 2025 and another on Fox Business, he claimed to be “very close” to securing Saudi recognition of Israel, suggesting the Gaza conflict’s pause could pave the way for a deal before December.
Trump emphasized that wartime conditions previously hindered progress, but with the truce in place, he believes momentum has returned. Yet, Saudi insiders and analysts dismiss this timeline as overly ambitious, labeling it “virtually impossible” without a fundamental shift in Israeli policy.
Ali Shihabi, a prominent Saudi commentator with close ties to the leadership, reiterated that Crown Prince Mohammed, aged 40 and the kingdom’s de facto ruler, conditions normalization on Israel committing to an “irrevocable, major step toward a Palestinian state.” This position is not merely rhetorical; it positions Saudi Arabia as the last major Arab power with leverage to advocate for Palestinian rights.
Shihabi argues that a Saudi-Israel accord represents the “only serious leverage left” for Arabs to push for a lasting resolution, aiming to foster “long-elusive regional stability.” Without Palestinian concessions, any deal risks being seen as a betrayal of broader Arab interests, especially amid widespread public outrage over the Gaza war.
Source: The News