President Donald Trump’s trip to Israel and Egypt is driven by a vision that extends far beyond the current Gaza conflict. The White House is signaling a clear intention to use the ceasefire as a launchpad for an ambitious sequel to a signature first-term achievement: the Abraham Accords. The ultimate prize in this new chapter would be normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The strategy hinges on the idea that the recent war, sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has created a new political dynamic. The administration believes that Arab states are now more focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue and are deepening their engagement with the United States, creating an opening for bold diplomatic moves.
According to a senior administration official, achieving a permanent peace agreement in Gaza is the key to unlocking these next steps. It would demonstrate a commitment to Palestinian stability, potentially satisfying a key condition set by Saudi Arabia for recognizing Israel. This could then pave the way for similar deals with other major Muslim-majority nations like Indonesia.
Trump’s summit in Egypt is a critical part of this strategy, designed to build a regional coalition for peace and reconstruction. By securing financial commitments from wealthy Gulf states to rebuild Gaza, Trump aims to show tangible benefits of Arab-Israeli cooperation, further incentivizing countries to join the accords.
While the path is fraught with challenges, particularly the kingdom’s long-standing position on Palestinian statehood, the administration is betting that the strategic benefits of an alliance with Israel and the US are becoming too compelling for Riyadh to ignore. Trump’s visit is a clear signal that he is ready to invest significant political capital to achieve this historic regional realignment.