Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and President Donald Trump attend a joint press conference in Bethlehem, May 23, 2017. (Flash90)
“If it occurs, will be an important declaration that will change the balance of power in the Middle East, and more countries will join the Abraham Accords.”
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Ahead of the Gulf-US Summit next week, a Saudi diplomatic source speculates that US President Donald Trump will recognize a Palestinian state.
The cause of the speculation was President Trump’s statement in the Oval Office last week that he was going to make a “very big announcement…as big as it gets” before his Middle East trip.
The source, who did not want to be named, told The Media Line, “President Donald Trump will issue a declaration that America will recognize the State of Palestine and that there will be the establishment of a Palestinian state without Hamas.”
The source also added, “The American recognition of the State of Palestine, if it occurs, will be an important declaration that will change the balance of power in the Middle East, and more countries will join the Abraham Accords.”
Although the source acknowledged that economic agreements will also be announced at the summit, they added that they will be of secondary importance since many have already been announced. However, the source added that they predict the Gulf states will be exempted from tariffs.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denied that Trump was going to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state and reiterated that Israel has no closer friend than the US.
Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, a former Gulf diplomat, doubted the source’s belief that the US was on the brink of recognizing a Palestinian state , and said, “I don’t think Trump’s announcement will be about Palestine. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan have
not been invited. They are the two nations with the closest ties to Palestine, and it would be important for them to be present at any event like this.”
Al-Ibrahim added that he thinks the news will be in the form of economic agreements with the Gulf States and said, “There will be major deals coming, perhaps similar to what happened at the 2017 Gulf-US summit, with Saudi deals worth more than $400 billion. Let’s not forget that the UAE announced investments in the US worth more than $1 trillion, and Saudi Arabia announced investments worth more than $600 billion.”
He continued, “This is clear because President Donald Trump intends to visit the UAE and Qatar after concluding his visit to Saudi Arabia. These are two important economies with significant financial resources and major investments in the United States.”
In addition to economic developments, Saudi Arabia is planning to build its first nuclear reactors, with a number of European countries competing for a deal to design them.
The United Arab Emirates owns the Barakah reactor and is the only Arab nation with a four-reactor nuclear power plant.
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