Report: Tensions soared during Trump-bin Salman meeting over normalisation push
The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week saw clear tension because Trump pressed Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords, according to informed sources.
This comes as Saudi Arabia continues to link any formal step towards relations with Israel to a “credible and time-bound” political process that leads to a Palestinian state, while the US President is seeking regional agreements that include Riyadh and Tel Aviv.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 on Tuesday evening, two US officials described the talks as “difficult”, noting that Trump “was disappointed and irritated” by the Crown Prince’s refusal to move towards normalisation at this time.
The report said the White House had informed the Crown Prince before the meeting that Trump expected “progress” on the issue. However, last Tuesday’s talks became tense when Trump raised the matter and applied direct pressure on Riyadh to join the accords.
The Saudi Crown Prince pushed “in the opposite direction”, stressing that Saudi Arabia “cannot take such a step now”, given public hostility in the Kingdom towards Israel after the war in Gaza, and that Saudi society “is not ready” for a normalisation agreement at this stage.