Saudi Arabia is resisting renewed pressure from President Donald Trump to join the Abraham Accords with Israel, underscoring deep regional tensions and unresolved political conditions that continue to block normalization, according to reporting by The Times UK. The issue has resurfaced amid Trump’s push for Gulf states to publicly align with a broader US-brokered regional settlement following the recent conflict with Iran.
The latest diplomatic friction emerged after Trump, during a call with Middle Eastern leaders discussing a ceasefire with Iran, abruptly demanded that countries in the region join the Abraham Accords as a demonstration of gratitude for what he described as US efforts to end the war. He later reiterated the demand on Truth Social, stating that nations benefiting from US intervention should “at a minimum” simultaneously sign the agreements with Israel. The remarks were widely interpreted as an attempt to attach normalization to wider security negotiations.
While the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the accords in 2020, and Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey already maintain formal ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia remains the key missing participant. For Washington and Tel Aviv, Riyadh is considered the most significant prize due to its religious and geopolitical influence across the Islamic world. However, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly signaled reluctance to move forward under current conditions.
According to sources cited in The Times UK, the recent call left the Saudi leadership frustrated, with officials reiterating that they have already rejected similar requests “100 times” and are likely to continue doing so. The crown prince has privately argued that the timing is not appropriate, particularly given the continuing conflict in Gaza and the lack of progress toward a Palestinian state, which Riyadh considers a central prerequisite for any formal normalization with Israel.
Saudi Arabia’s position has evolved over recent years. While the kingdom once viewed the Palestinian issue as secondary to broader strategic interests, negotiations with the United States under the Biden administration brought normalization talks closer to completion in exchange for a defense agreement. However, those talks reportedly collapsed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to commit to a pathway toward Palestinian statehood, a condition Riyadh insists is non-negotiable.
Tensions have further intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, which significantly hardened Saudi public and political opinion. The large-scale destruction in Gaza and escalating regional instability have made Israeli leadership politically toxic in parts of the Gulf, even as concerns about Iran’s regional influence remain shared between Riyadh and Washington. Saudi officials have also criticized Israeli political messaging that questioned the kingdom’s seriousness about supporting Palestinian statehood, describing it as misleading and damaging to negotiations.
The Times UK reports that Saudi officials view recognition of Israel as contingent on tangible progress toward a viable Palestinian state, describing it in diplomatic terms as a necessary “dowry” for normalization. Without such concessions, Riyadh has argued that any agreement would risk undermining its standing in the wider Muslim world and damaging its regional credibility.
Analysts say Trump’s renewed push for rapid normalization reflects a misunderstanding of current regional sentiment. Experts quoted in The Times UK described the demand as out of step with the political realities on the ground, particularly given the aftermath of the Gaza conflict and ongoing mistrust toward Israeli leadership. Even as the United States attempts to link broader peace efforts with diplomatic normalization, Saudi Arabia appears determined to hold its position until what it considers core political conditions are met.
