Even between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Hashemi said that while there are differences over the war in Gaza, the two nations share similar readings of other challenges such as Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and popular movements seeking to transform the Middle East.
He pointed out that prior to the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the current war, Saudi Arabia was ready to normalise relations with Israel.
“It’s just impossible for any Arab leader to shake the hands of an Israeli leader who’s indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court and is viewed as a pariah figure around the world,” said Hashemi.
“Saudi Arabia has to maintain some sort of public face in front of its own population if it’s going to normalise relations with Israel.”
Genauer said that despite Trump’s personal affinity with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US president knows to play his cards.
“In this case, Trump knows that going to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates … it’s not going to be a good look if he does that straight off the back of a visit to Israel,” she said.
“Trump’s whole approach to geopolitics … is more about America first – what kind of economic wins the US can get … (and also) a Trump first approach.”
Saudi Arabia is the first leg of Trump’s four-day trip to the Middle East. He is set to jet off to Qatar on Wednesday and visit UAE later this week.
