Saudi nuclear deal fiasco: what was Trump thinking?

Whenever people ask me why I chose to focus my research on Saudi Arabia, I always give the same answer: “Because I get them.” They have a vision, a strategy, and a sense of logic. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the current governments of Israel and the United States.

Last week, the Saudis thought their biggest dream was finally coming true, thanks to Uncle Sam: a civilian nuclear program with the right to enrich uranium and relatively few restrictions. Then one day after signing the deal, just like that, the dream was gone. President Trump decided that the deal would only move forward if Saudi Arabia agreed to normalise relations with Israel.

Can somebody please tell the President that this isn't how it works?

Assuming President Trump is serious about conditioning approval of Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program on normalisation with Israel, which version of the “Abraham Accords” does he actually have in mind? Is it the 2020 version – the one that ignored the Palestinian issue and, in doing so, became one of the major catalysts for the horrific events of October 7, 2023?

If so, does he really want Saudi Arabia to sign an agreement with Israel that, given the current geopolitical reality, could jeopardise its security interests and undermine the prestige of his best buddy, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)? Even if he does, that's simply not an option. MBS will accept nothing less than a genuine political pathway toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Or maybe the President is aiming for an updated version of the ״Abraham Accords״, one that addresses Palestinian political aspirations? That won't work either. Israel's current government categorically rejects even opening a discussion on the issue.