WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House indicated Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will remain a close consultant to President Donald Trump on security and economic challenges in the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iran nuclear deal.
The White House statement offered a glimpse at how this nascent administration’s Middle East policies are taking shape, and how influential Saudi Arabia may be in shaping them. It left little doubt of the president’s commitment to reinforcing relations with Saudi Arabia in a lengthy readout Wednesday – a day after the visit.
Trump’s rhetoric toward the Israel-Palestinian conflict has notably softened since he was sworn into office. Trump abandoned, at least for now, his vow to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a plan long in the works but never executed due to the potential security implications.
Trump has also urged Israel to stop settlement expansions in disputed territories and said that the Israelis and Palestinians should determine for themselves whether a one- or two-state solution may work best.
Saudi Arabia has long said that any normalization of relations with Israel must include a just resolution first to Palestinian statehood, including claims to east Jerusalem and one of Islam and Judaism’s holiest sites.