Israel saudi arabia

The IMEC will not solve everything. But as an off-ramp from stalled normalization and an on-ramp to a shared strategic future, it may be the rare piece of timing the region actually gets right.

For Israel, this is a once-in-a-generation opening to move from relative isolation to an embedded partnership with the Arab world’s most influential state.

The peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is more or less written, and the only remaining question is timing. 

The main issue, according to the report, is Saudi Arabia’s demand that Israel take concrete steps toward establishing a Palestinian state with a clear timeline, a demand Netanyahu has not accepted.

According to the source, Riyadh anticipates a return to the type of indirect communication with Israel that was facilitated by the US prior to the October 7 massacre.

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu staunchly opposed to Palestinian statehood, Saudi Arabia sees no immediate prospect to satisfy Trump’s demand that it normalize ties with Israel.

The Abraham Accords matter for Israel because they represent a diplomatic, strategic, and economic leap forward, proving it can transcend isolation, forge new alliances, and shape a new Middle East.

Asked whether normalization was possible without Israel having to commit to Palestinian statehood, Haskel answered that she “believed so.”

Accompanied by prominent American business leaders, Trump will visit Riyadh first, the site of the Saudi-US Investment Forum.

Establishing ties has become especially toxic for Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, since the start of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.