Saudis demand US commitment to Palestinian state, an unthinkable scenario for Israel

Bin Salman privately pressed Trump to guarantee final status talks be held and a Palestinian state established within five years, while pushing back on plans to have Muslim countries form Gaza peacekeeping force.

By World Israel News Staff

Saudi Arabia is seeking guarantees from the Trump administration that final-status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be renewed in the near future, concluding no later than five years from now and culminating in the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to a Yedioth Ahronoth report published Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, where the two discussed Riyadh’s request to purchase dozens of advanced F-35 fighter jets, efforts to reboot nuclear talks with Iran, the administration’s Gaza peace plan, Saudi investment in the United States, a security treaty between the two countries, and Saudi Arabia’s plans to launch a civilian nuclear program.

Trump and bin Salman also discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords, with the president pressing the de facto Saudi ruler to publicly commit to a peace deal with Israel without preconditions.

During a joint press conference that day, bin Salman said his country wants “to be part of the Abraham Accords,” but declined to make any firm statement on the possibility of peace with Israel, saying only that Riyadh needs to “secure a clear path [to a] two-state solution.”

While publicly bin Salman has been reticent on the issue, in private he laid out specific conditions for establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

According to the report, bin Salman asked Trump for American guarantees that a Palestinian state be established in no more than five years.

Bin Salman reportedly framed the guarantees as a concrete expression of American support for a “pathway” to Palestinian statehood.

The administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan referenced support for an eventual “pathway” to a Palestinian state, but provided no details or timetable.

Following the October 7th massacre, the prospect of a Palestinian state is widely viewed inside Israel’s political and security establishment as an unthinkable gamble with national survival rather than a path to peace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu argues that any such state would quickly become a platform for Hamas and other Iran-backed groups to regroup on Israel’s borders, a concern echoed by a Knesset resolution warning that a Palestinian state in the “heart of the Land of Israel” would pose an “existential danger” to the country and its citizens.

The Saudi prince also used his private meeting with the president to warn him against forming the newly mandated International Stabilization Force with soldiers from Muslim nations, arguing that Muslim troops would not be willing to confront Hamas if needed.

So far, the Trump administration has sought moderate Arab and Muslim states to contribute troops to the peacekeeping force, which would be tasked with demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas.

Donald TrumpMohammed bin SalmanPalestinian StatePalestinian statehood