MBS tells Trump he wants to join Abraham Accords subject to path for Palestinian state
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MBS and Trump in the Oval Office. Photo: Nathan Howard/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) told President Trump that he is ready to work on the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, but only if any agreement provides a clear path for a Palestinian state.
Why it matters: While Trump and his advisers acknowledge the gaps between the Saudis and the Israelis are still wide, the White House told the Saudis it wanted to see some progress on this issue during the Trump-MBS meeting, U.S. officials said.
What he is saying: Trump told reporters during Tuesday's meeting that he'd raised the issue of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords with the crown prince.
- "I think I got a positive response," Trump said.
- MBS was more nuanced. "We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path to a two-state solution," he said. "We had a healthy discussion with Mr. President that we're going to work on that to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible."
- Trump said he and MBS had discussed various paths for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — "we talked about one-state, two-state" — and that he felt the Saudi leader had a "very good feeling" toward the Abraham Accords, though he didn't want "to use the word commitment."
Driving the news: Trump confirmed that he reached an agreement with MBS on a U.S. security guarantee for Saudi Arabia and stressed that the Saudis will get the same model of F-35 fighter jets Israel has, because both are close U.S. allies.
- "I know they [the Israelis] want you to get planes of reduced caliber. I don't think that makes you too happy", Trump told MBS. "They are both at a level that they should get top of the line [jets]", Trump said.
Between the lines: Israeli officials told their U.S. counterparts they'd like the U.S. to condition the sale of F-35s on Saudi-Israeli normalization, though they have not outright opposed the planned sale.
- It was unclear from Trump's comment whether there was any linkage between the F-35 deal and normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
- "Israel is aware and it is going to be happy," Trump said.
State of play: MBS said he and Trump had discussed Saudi contributions to the reconstruction of Gaza, but stressed there was no specific dollar amount agreed.
- "It will be a lot," Trump interjected. "It is very important for him."
- Trump also said he and MBS would discuss Saudi Arabia potentially obtaining a civilian nuclear capability, but he said it was not urgent because Saudi Arabia has abundant energy.
- Trump said MBS is a great friend with whom he is aligned on "every issue." He also attacked a reporter for asking about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Go deeper.
