The Saudi Question: Can Trump Deliver the Ultimate Diplomatic Prize?

President Donald Trump’s Mideast agenda is clear: use the Gaza ceasefire as a stepping stone to the ultimate diplomatic prize of his presidency—a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. This ambitious goal is the driving force behind his trip and his administration’s entire regional strategy.
The White House sees a direct link between the two issues. A senior official has confirmed that a permanent agreement in Gaza is viewed as the necessary precondition to kickstart serious talks with the Saudis. The logic is that resolving the immediate conflict will create the political space for the kingdom to formally engage with Israel, a move that would reshape the Middle East.
An Israel-Saudi pact would be a monumental achievement. As the guardian of Islam’s holiest sites and the Arab world’s wealthiest and most powerful state, Saudi recognition of Israel would effectively end the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict and create a powerful new alliance against Iran. It would also be a historic capstone to the Abraham Accords.
However, the path to such a deal is littered with obstacles. The primary one remains the Palestinian issue. Saudi Arabia has publicly maintained that it will not normalize relations without a clear and credible path to a Palestinian state. This condition is currently at odds with the policies of the Israeli government and the realities on the ground in the West Bank.
Trump’s summit in Egypt is designed to begin chipping away at these barriers. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere focused on Gaza’s reconstruction and regional stability, he hopes to build trust and demonstrate the benefits of cooperation. His entire Mideast tour is a high-stakes bet that he can persuade the Saudis that the strategic advantages of a deal with Israel now outweigh their long-standing conditions.