Muhammad Bin Salman, the real winner between Israel and Hamas, returns to Washington
Following the UN Security Council's approval of the Gaza plan, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman travelled to the United States for the first time since the Khashoggi murder. At the centre of his talks with Trump are multi-billion dollar defence, technology, and artificial intelligence deals, including the sale of F-35s, previously reserved exclusively for Israel. Riyadh is playing a central role in regional dynamics without formally joining the Abraham Accords.
Tel Aviv (AsiaNews) – Following the UN Security Council's approval of the second phase of the US peace plan for Gaza, President Donald Trump is set to receive Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in Washington today.
This is the Saudi royal’s first visit since 2 October 2018, the day when Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Phase 2 of the Trump plan, already backed by several Muslim-majority countries (in addition to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and Pakistan), calls for the deployment of an international force to the Gaza Strip and a path toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
The proposal passed with 13 votes in favour out of 15 with China and Russia abstaining.
Prince Mohammed’s visit is expected to end with the announcement of new trade and defence agreements, including Saudi Arabia’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
The Saudis also intend to get the green light to buy advanced chips for the development of artificial intelligence software.
Elon Musk and golfer Tiger Woods will be attending the White House dinner, while an investment forum with executives from major US technology companies is scheduled for tomorrow.
“It is no exaggeration to say that strong Saudi-US relations have a profound impact on regional stability and prosperity,” wrote commentator Abdulrahman al-Rashid in the pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat.
However, it is unlikely that Trump and the Saudi leader will address the future of the Middle East, in particular the issue of normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
With this visit, Riyadh is demonstrating that it can obtain from Washington the same benefits envisaged by the Abraham Accords (the vision for a new Middle East that the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 tried to derail) without formally joining it, thus maintaining a more neutral and independent position vis-à-vis Israel compared to other Gulf states.
This new stance is evinced by the sale of F-35s, until now only transferred to Israel in the Middle East.
Trump could also announce a broader security pact, modelled on the agreement recently signed with Qatar.
According to the latter, “the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures – including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military – to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
In addition to the Khashoggi murder, which for years prevented Muhammad bin Salman from participating in certain international forums, various observers noted the kingdom’s poor human rights record (where 300 death sentences were carried out last year alone), not to mention Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen’s civil war, where at least 400,000 people have died, according to the United Nations.
At the same time, the visit to the White House appears to be a natural follow-up to Trump’s first international trip after the inauguration of his second administration, which was to the Gulf (ignoring Israel) during which numerous economic agreements were announced.
This approach is perfectly in line with the "transactional" vision that the current president applies to diplomatic relations.
The question many analysts are now asking is whether the agreements signed today will be upheld by the next occupant of the White House.
According to several recent polls, Americans are increasingly critical of US military support for Israel and the settler movement supported by far-right ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
At most, the latter can hope that, under pressure from Trump, he will be granted a pardon in connection with the criminal cases in which he is implicated.
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