The Jerusalem Post, citing the American news agency The Media Line, reported that President Donald Trump is likely to announce US recognition of the State of Palestine during the Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia.
According to the newspaper, a Gulf diplomatic source, who declined to reveal his identity or position, revealed to The Media Line that "President Donald Trump will issue a declaration regarding the State of Palestine and American recognition of it, and that a Palestinian state will be established without the presence of Hamas."
The source added, "If an American declaration is issued recognizing the State of Palestine, it will be the most significant statement changing the balance of power in the Middle East, and more countries will join the Abraham Accords."
The source confirmed that economic agreements will certainly be present, but many of them have already been announced, and we may witness the exemption of Gulf countries from customs duties.
For his part, Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, a former Gulf diplomat, told The Media Line: "I don't expect the issue to be related to Palestine. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II were not invited, as they represent the two countries closest to Palestine, and it would have been important for them to attend any event like this."
Al-Ibrahim continued, "There will be major deals coming, perhaps similar to what happened at the 2017 Gulf-US Summit, where Saudi Arabia announced deals exceeding $400 billion. Let's not forget that the UAE announced investments in the US exceeding $1 trillion, while Saudi Arabia announced investments exceeding these amounts."
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next week, marking his first visit to the Middle East since assuming his second presidential term in January 2025.
Trump's Middle East tour, from May 13 to 16, will also include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Last Saturday, Axios reported, citing a US official and Arab officials, that Trump plans to participate in a summit with Gulf leaders during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Share your opinion
Jerusalem Post: Trump may recognize the state of Palestine during the upcoming Saudi summit