US President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia this week will be marked by lavish ceremonies and talks on $1 trillion in investments, but the goal of normalizing ties between Riyadh and Israel remains distant due to the war in Gaza, Reuters reports.
US officials are pressuring Israel to accept an immediate ceasefire - a precondition for Saudi Arabia to resume normalization talks, Gulf and US sources said.
"We believe that very, very soon we will have some or many announcements that we hope will lead to progress by next year," Trump's envoy told the Middle East Steve Witkoff outside the Israeli embassy in Washington.
Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel and does not have formal diplomatic relations with it. According to sources, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes ending the war and establishing a Palestinian state, which has blocked the normalization process. According to former US negotiator Dennis Ross, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "needs an end to the war and a credible path to a Palestinian state before he re-engages with the issue of normalization."
While the issue of normalization remains stalled, Washington and Riyadh will focus on economic partnership, arms deals, megaprojects and cooperation in artificial intelligence, six sources said. Trump aims to secure $1 trillion in investment, building on a previous pledge of $600 billion.
Before the Gaza war broke out on Oct. 7, Saudi Arabia was negotiating a defense pact with the United States in exchange for recognizing Israel. But the conflict, which has killed 52,000 people and displaced 1.9 million Palestinians, has frozen the talks. Bin Salman has accused Israel of genocide.
Diplomats say Trump could offer a framework for ending the 18-month conflict in Gaza, including a transitional government and new security measures. He is not expected to visit Israel during his trip. Washington has already taken steps in Riyadh’s favor, including ending its bombing of the Houthis in Yemen and separating nuclear talks from the normalization agenda.