Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it will only consider establishing relations with Israel once a Palestinian state is formed. This stance refutes President Donald Trump’s assertion that the Saudis were not insisting on a Palestinian homeland when he suggested the U.S. take control of the Gaza Strip.
During a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump expressed his desire for the U.S. to assume control of the Gaza Strip post Palestinians’ relocation to different nations, following the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“The United States is planning to assume governance of the Gaza Strip, and we will handle the responsibilities,” Trump announced confidently from the White House. “We will take ownership and oversee the disposal of all perilous, undiscovered munitions and weaponry present in the area.”
“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)
The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.
Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.
Reuters contributed to this report.
