Trump in Saudi Arabia: Dealmaking without the Israelis?

The Debate

He’s back in the Gulf to do deals. But a familiar ally seems cut out of all the dealmaking. Donald Trump is on familiar ground in Saudi Arabia, where he made his first trip as president back in 2017. The US president may have said no to ceremonial Arabic coffee, but he seems ready to approve a landmark civilian nuclear agreement – one that no longer seems linked to Riyadh normalising ties with Israel.

Israel was left out of Monday's release by Hamas of what's thought to be the last US citizen held by the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip; a goodwill gesture before Trump travels on to Qatar. Has Washington grown tired of Benjamin Netanyahu's forever war?

Last month at the White House, the Israeli prime minister seemed caught off guard when Trump in his presence announced negotiations with Iran. Under Trump I, the Saudis would have also pushed back hard. But Riyadh's relations with Tehran have since thawed.

And if it's all about the money – after all, the president of the United States says he's not a man to turn down a free plane like the one the Qataris are offering to replace Air Force One – then who's the highest bidder in this new chapter of transactional diplomacy?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Jimena Morales-Velasco, Alessandro Xenos.