Saudi Arabia open to better relations with Israel

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday signalled he was open in principle to improving relations between his country and Israel.

During a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, the crown prince held out the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, which saw the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lead the way for other Muslim-majority countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020.

The oil-wealthy monarchy has been saying it is open to rapprochement with Israel, however, the move is contingent on a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

Asked about the Abraham Accords at the White House, Mohammed said: "We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians. We want them to coexist peacefully in the region."

A two-state solution envisions a future in which an independent Palestinian state coexists peacefully alongside Israel.

Both Palestinian militant organization Hamas and the Israeli government oppose a two-state solution, so it is not clear whether Saudi Arabia's relations with Israel would normalize anytime soon.

Trump said he had a "very good talk" about the Abraham Accords with Mohammed, who is widely referred to as MBS.

The Abraham Accords, sealed in 2020, are considered a significant success of Trump's first term in office.

According to its own statements, Trump's administration is working to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a rapprochement had begun in 2023, but then came to an abrupt end due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.