The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded in front of cameras with notable statements. Trump defended the Crown Prince in response to journalists’ questions, asserting that Saudi Arabia represents Washington’s “primary ally” outside the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the actual outcomes of the meeting fell short of the expectations of both sides. It noted that Washington has shown growing dissatisfaction with the Saudi leadership due to its unwillingness to move forward on the path of normalisation with Israel, an issue the newspaper has previously addressed in earlier reports.
According to diplomatic sources, the failure of early contacts between Saudi and American officials to achieve a breakthrough prompted Trump, during White House talks, to urge the Saudi Crown Prince to take at least one symbolic step towards normalisation. The aim was to suggest that progress could be achieved when appropriate conditions become available.
Bin Salman spoke about domestic challenges and public opinion within his country. Trump intervened, calling on him to follow the example of his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed, who achieved significant gains after his country joined the Abraham Accords. Bin Salman maintained his position, after which Trump later announced his country’s intention to sell F 35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in the future, without specifying a timeline, but under clear conditions.
The first condition was the commencement of the implementation of the announced Saudi investments in the United States. Hundreds of billions of dollars had previously been announced during Trump’s earlier term, but only a limited portion of these investments materialised. The second condition was the launch of a practical track towards normalisation with Israel and joining the Abraham Accords, according to the newspaper.
Washington adopted a firmer stance on the Saudi nuclear reactor file, rejecting Riyadh’s request to enrich uranium on its own territory amid explicit Israeli opposition. On this basis, Trump agreed to assist Saudi Arabia in establishing a nuclear energy facility overseen by American companies, similar to the model in place in the United Arab Emirates.
The newspaper quoted a political source as saying that the US administration viewed the ceasefire in Gaza as a starting point for expanding the Abraham Accords. It considered that the Saudi position grants Hamas, which obstructs efforts to end the war, an influential role in disrupting the path sought by Trump.
According to assessments, peace, or even an end to the war in Gaza, does not appear imminent. Egyptian efforts to pressure Hamas to reach arrangements related to the handover of authority and weapons face obstacles, amid the insistence of some movement leaders on their positions, even in response to conditional proposals such as depositing weapons in warehouses overseen by a new civilian government.
In this context, Turkey’s absence from applying pressure on Hamas at this stage has become evident, despite Ankara’s previous role in securing a ceasefire and persuading the movement to release all hostages.
According to an Arab diplomatic source, this retreat is due to Israel’s use of its veto against the participation of Turkish forces in the multinational force planned to be deployed in Gaza.
Israel Hayom reported that Israel leaked intelligence information to the Americans regarding cells affiliated with Hamas and Hezbollah operating from within Turkey with the knowledge of the authorities. It later published details about these cells and foiled attack attempts.
In return, Hamas conditions the official resumption of negotiations on the completion of the first phase, particularly the opening of the Rafah crossing for the movement of individuals and a tangible increase in the number of supply trucks entering areas under its control. These are viewed as a primary source of funding for its activities and a means of pressure on the population.
An Israeli source indicated that Hamas is first required to return the final two bodies of the captives and ensure that it does not seize most of the supplies. He described this condition as nearly impossible, with American expectations that the bodies will be handed over in the coming days.
Despite this stalemate, intensive activity continues inside the multinational headquarters in Kiryat Gat, the civil military coordination centre. It has expanded to include representatives from at least 24 countries, alongside Israel and the United States, which oversee its administration.
Israel Hayom reported that a representative from Bahrain, one of the Abraham Accords countries, joined the working teams at the headquarters last week. The headquarters consists of three floors allocated to Israeli and American staff, in addition to a floor designated for multinational teams.
The United Arab Emirates holds the largest and most prominent presence after Israel and the United States. Its teams operate within specialised groups, including a security team monitoring developments in the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian team coordinating the entry of supply trucks and limiting their seizure, as well as teams concerned with preparing the multinational security force, the future governing civilian authority, rehabilitation and infrastructure, and comprehensive planning for the future of the Gaza Strip.
Participants at the headquarters confirmed the presence of a positive cooperative atmosphere. Dialogues between Israeli and Arab teams are conducted in Arabic, and Arabic coffee is the most common beverage at meetings. Nevertheless, they noted that most activities remain within the realm of theoretical planning, given the stalled formation of the multinational force and the continued distance of the second phase.
At the same time, areas under Israeli control inside the Gaza Strip are witnessing accelerated reconstruction activity. This includes the establishment of humanitarian centres, new residential neighbourhoods, infrastructure, public buildings, and schools, presented as a preliminary model for the reconstruction of the entire Strip.
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