Saudi Arabia, Qatar Hesitant About Joining Abraham Accords With Israel, Gulf Sources Say -
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have not yet officially responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's request that they join the Abraham Accords with Israel, but Gulf sources who spoke with Haaretz expressed reservations about the move.
"If Trump wants us to normalize our relations with Israel, he should return to the Arab Peace Initiative and adopt it," a Saudi source close to the royal family in Riyadh told Haaretz, alluding to the Arab League proposal from 2002, which was re-endorsed at the 2007 and 2017 Arab League summits.
The source added that the Saudi position is "clear and unwavering," and that there is no intention to hand Israel any "free gifts" without a real diplomatic path leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Trump is free to say what he wants and think as he wishes, but in the Middle East, strategic moves aren't made through public declarations or political fantasies," the source said, adding that Saudi Arabia continues to view the 2002 peace initiative as a binding basis for any progress in relations with Israel.
"The Kingdom is the gateway to the Arab and Islamic world, and therefore any such step requires clear diplomatic compensation: a Palestinian state within recognized borders and a sustainable Palestinian Authority."
The Saudi source further claimed that since October 7, 2023, Israel has taken no steps to strengthen regional stability, but has instead "crushed" any prospect of a diplomatic process, whether through the escalation of the war in Gaza or through statements that have undermined stability.
According to the source, "the regional atmosphere doesn't allow normalization with Israel, especially not from a central country like Saudi Arabia."
Similar claims were made by a Saudi source speaking to CNN, who said that Saudi Arabia had conveyed a clear message to Washington that its position remains unchanged despite the pressure and recent regional developments.
The source told CNN that Riyadh will not move forward with normalization with Israel without an irreversible path to establishing a Palestinian state.
Qatar also did not issue a direct official response to Trump's request. However, according to Gulf news outlets citing Qatari officials, Doha also expresses reservations about the idea of "normalization without Palestinian compensation."
Gulf sources assess that Trump is seeking to secure an alternative diplomatic achievement involving Israel by expanding the Abraham Accords, after failing to do so on the Iranian front.
Gulf sources, along with Arab diplomats speaking to Haaretz, believe that the Trump administration's failure regarding Iran has reinforced a tendency to resist U.S. pressure to normalize relations with Israel.
The sources add that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are unwilling to offer Trump a diplomatic achievement, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and Lebanon and a regional perception that Israel is not presenting a credible or stable diplomatic horizon.