Abraham Accords normalised Israeli ties with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco; Saudi Arabia yet to formalise despite talks
ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk – President Donald Trump has called on Saudi Arabia to formally recognise Israel by joining the Abraham Accords, describing the potential move as a landmark step for regional peace and a personal honour.
Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday, Trump appealed directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was seated prominently alongside tech magnate Elon Musk. “It’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia will soon be joining the Abraham Accords,” he said. “It will be a tremendous tribute to your country and crucial for the future of the Middle East.”
The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term in office, normalised relations between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Saudi Arabia has yet to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel, although quiet talks on the matter have occurred in recent years.
(Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed display their copies of signed agreements as they participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbours, in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.)
Trump praised the accords as “an absolute bonanza” for participating countries and criticised the Biden administration for failing to advance the initiative. “The momentum was aimed at peace—aimed very successfully,” he said.
Turning to regional security, he warned Iran of renewed “massive maximum pressure” if it fails to agree to a new nuclear agreement. He vowed to “drive Iranian oil exports to zero” and said, “The time is right now for them to choose — we don’t have a lot of time.”
Although he is not scheduled to visit Israel during this regional tour, Trump’s comments underscore his continued engagement with Middle East diplomacy during his second term in office. Normalisation talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia remain stalled amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
President Donald Trump has said the US has “no stronger partner” than Saudi Arabia during his first major foreign trip – a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on shoring up investment.
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Day one of the tour saw the two sides announce a $142bn (£107bn) arms deal, as well as other investments that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said could eventually be worth $1tn.
Trump also made Saudi Arabia the first foreign stop during his first term, in 2017. The rest of his trip will include stops in Qatar and the UAE which has already committed to investing $1.4tn in the US over the next decade. .
Speaking for nearly an hour in Riyadh, Trump also announced that the US would be lifting sanctions on Syria in order to give the country “a chance at greatness”.
The pomp and ceremony was a drastic change from the muted reception for former US President Joe Biden, who declared Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state after the murder of a dissident journalist, before he travelled to the oil-rich kingdom to seek their help in lowering petrol prices, fist-bumping the crown prince.
Trump flew to the Gulf to strike financial deals and argued in his speech that it is through this kind of commerce and economic development that the Middle East would transcend violence and division.
In his remarks at an investment forum, Trump lauded the US-Saudi relationship as “more powerful than ever before”.
“From the moment we started we’ve seen wealth that has poured – and is pouring – into America,” he said.
During his address, Trump said it was his “dream” to have Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered in his first administration that saw relations between Israel and some Gulf countries normalised for the first time.
But his good friend, Mohammed bin Salman, has made it clear that will not happen until there is a permanent end to the war in Gaza and a clear path to Palestinian statehood.
Trump only briefly addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
He told those in attendance that people in Gaza deserved a “better future”, which had been held back by Hamas choosing “to kidnap, torture and target” for “political ends” – a reference to the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
