Prominent Saudi Journalist Says MBS’ Visit to Washington a ‘Rare Opportunity’ for Israel

Saudi journalist and editor-in-chief of the Saudi Arab News, Faisal J. Abbas, called Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s upcoming visit to the White House “consequential” and a “rare opportunity” for Israel if it can “seriously” commit to a path toward Palestinian statehood.

In an opinion piece in the English-language daily Arab News, ahead of the crown prince’s Tuesday meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Abbas said that if Israel was “ready,” it could finally become a fully fledged member of a “region of integration, cooperation and shared prosperity” – a “new Europe.”

The journalist outlined how Saudi Arabia’s evolution into a “stabilizing force” in the Middle East positions it as “indispensable to U.S. interests,” describing it as a constant through Democratic and Republican political shifts.

He also commented on the necessity of the defense agreements that the two countries are expected to sign during the visit, saying that Israel’s strike targeting Hamas officials in Doha “underscores the urgency of a robust defense framework.” According to Abbas, Saudi Arabia “must secure its borders, airspace and waters.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he is considering a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets – a sale that Israel wants conditioned on Saudi normalization with Israel, Axios reported, citing two Israeli officials.

The sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”

“The U.S needs a partner that commands respect in the region. Saudi Arabia fits that role,” Abbas wrote. “The Kingdom has pushed for a two-state solution in Palestine, condemned atrocities in Gaza and facilitated negotiations in Sudan, Ukraine and Syria,” he added. “Riyadh is no longer just a regional actor, it is a global mediator.”

As Abbas urges Israel to embrace Palestinian statehood, saying, “the moment is now,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers have outright rejected the idea of a Palestinian state over the past day.

The prime minister said on Sunday that his opposition to a Palestinian state “has not changed at all,” while Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Israel’s policy is clear. A Palestinian state will not be established.”

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On Saturday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Netanyahu to “clarify to the entire world – no Palestinian state will be established,” while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pledged to leave the government if Israel agrees to establish a “terror-rewarding state” that he says would serve as a base for continued terrorism.

Palestinian officials told Haaretz that senior Saudi officials have signalled that they will not advance normalization with Israel during the term of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, with one official saying that any government that includes Smotrich and Ben-Gvir “is not a partner to any diplomatic move and of course not to a normalization agreement, in light of what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Some Israeli officials believe that they will be able to advance normalization in exchange for the arms deal with the United States. On Sunday, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli voiced support for such a move, saying that Saudi Arabia is not an enemy state but “a potential ally.” However, Chikli categorically ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state.

Palestinian officials, however, said that such a deal alone will not suffice for Riyadh to normalize ties with Israel. “Saudi Arabia with not grant such a gift and legitimacy to the government even at the price of one deal or another that includes F-35 planes,” said one official.

According to the officials, a deal would not bring them to withdraw their demand for a diplomatic solution that would establish a Palestinian state.