Saudi Arabia decides to forego defense treaty due to deadlock with Israel

Saudi Arabia has abandoned its pursuit of an ambitious defense treaty with the United States in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel, due to public backlash over Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia now insists on concrete steps towards creating a Palestinian state before recognizing Israel. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is eager for normalization with Saudi Arabia, opposition at home makes concessions to the Palestinians difficult. Instead, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are discussing a more limited military cooperation agreement focusing on joint exercises and drills to address regional threats, mainly from Iran. This agreement would allow for increased U.S. presence in Riyadh and prevent collaboration with China. The pact would involve Saudi investments in advanced technologies, but would not be a binding mutual defense treaty like initially sought. The Trump administration is working towards a deal on security guarantees for Saudi Arabia before President Biden leaves office, but challenges remain. A defense treaty between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. would reshape the Middle East, but obstacles like disagreements over nuclear cooperation and human rights issues still need to be addressed. While Saudi Arabia insists on Palestinian statehood, the potential for normalization with Israel may be revisited in the future, especially under a different Israeli government. Trump is keen on securing this historic normalization, leveraging all possible avenues, even if it means promising a ceasefire in Gaza without requiring real concessions from Israel towards the Palestinians.

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