Gulf Arabs back Trump’s efforts, but not peace plan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A tectonic shift in relations quietly under way for years was on full display as representatives of Gulf Arab states attended President Trump’s unveiling this week of an IsraeliPalestinian plan that heavily sides with Israel and all but crushes Palestinian aspirations.
The audience at the White House, when Trump presented the plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, included Christian Zionist leaders and staunch proIsrael supporters, such as Republican party donor Sheldon Adelson. Rounding out the crowd were ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, who posed for a photo at the White House ceremony for the plan, which Palestinians have outright rejected.
For the Arab perspective, however, Saudi Arabia’s reaction was the one most closely watched. The kingdom expressed support for the Trump administration’s efforts, but did not sends its ambassador to attend the ceremony.
The Saudi response was also significant for what it didn’t say — the kingdom did not endorse the plan, but also made no explicit mention of longheld Arab demands for a Palestinian state on occupied land with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Rather, Saudi Arabia encouraged Palestinians to start “direct peace negotiations,” essentially urging the Palestinians to accept the White House’s framework as the starting point for talks.
“The Saudis crafted their message to appeal to two audiences: their domestic public and the Trump administration,” Kristin Diwan Smith, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said.
With the exception of Kuwait, all Gulf Arab countries have engaged in outreach with Israel or proIsraeli figures in recent years. The effort has accelerated as Saudi Arabia and Israel share a common threat in Iran.
The U.S. plan skews in favor of Israel and shunts many of the
Palestinians’ core demands by keeping some 750,000 Jewish settlers in place, recognizing Israel’s sovereignty of the strategic Jordan Valley, and asserting Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel.
Saudi Arabia’s position has shifted with the rise of the king’s son, Prince Mohammed.
Unlike his father’s generation, the 34yearold crown prince appears primarily concerned with thwarting Iran and not with defending the Palestinian cause.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have sought close ties with Trump and have used interfaith efforts to build ties with his evangelical base and proIsraeli Jews, chiefly to counter Iran’s footprint in the region.