Description: Following US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia has stated they didn’t plan on establishing bilateral ties with Israel without the conception of Palestinian state. Trump’s statements about displacement of Gaza residents and rebuilding the enclave economically have fallen on deaf ears within the Arab world. Saudi Arabia was to establish bilateral ties with Israel following US mediation and join UAE and Bahrain in the signing of the Abraham Accords from 2020.
Impact: Saudi Arabia is a key US ally in the Middle East and the implementation of a double standard policy by the Trump administration could further risk their strategic partnership. Saudi Arabia have made clear their stance on the Palestinian question, while the US staunchly supported Israel in their warfare ambitions in the enclave. There is no concrete strategy in sight as Trump’s foreign policy methods of disruption and economic and political extortion risks key US strategic partnerships and further regional destabilization.