Will Trump recognize a Palestinian State? - The Media Line
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Saudi Arabia will host the Gulf-US Summit 2025 during Donald Trump's visit, amid rumors of a major announcement.
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US President Donald Trump meets with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 14, 2017. (AP)
Gulf analysts wrote in The Media Line on Saturday that Saudi Arabia will host the 2025 Gulf-US Summit in mid-May, aligning with US President Donald Trump’s first visit to the Kingdom in his second term, echoing the huge May 2017 summit in Riyadh during his first term.
All Gulf leaders are expected to attend the summit, except for King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who has remained absent from public engagements due to health concerns.
Ahead of the summit, speculation has grown around what Trump referred to as a “very important announcement” during a recent meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House on May 6.
Observers anticipate that the summit could unveil high-level diplomatic shifts, economic agreements, or security deals.
Rumors of US recognition of a Palestinian State
According to The Media Line, the announcement of a Palestinian state is among the most widely discussed possibilities.
Moreover, a Gulf diplomatic source who spoke anonymously to The Media Line said, "President Donald Trump will issue a declaration regarding the State of Palestine and American recognition of it, and that there will be the establishment of a Palestinian state without the presence of Hamas."
The source added that such an announcement could mark a significant realignment in the region, possibly leading more Arab states to join the normalization agreements.
Additionally, former Gulf diplomat Ahmad al-Ibrahim told The Media Line, “I don’t expect it to be about Palestine. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan have not been invited. They are the two countries closest to Palestine, and it would be important for them to be present at any event like this.”
It is worth noting that the US is no longer demanding that Saudi Arabia normalize ties with "Israel" as a precondition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation talks, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, ahead of Trump's visit to the kingdom.
This marks a significant policy shift by Washington. Under former President Joe Biden, nuclear negotiations with Riyadh were tied to a broader US-Saudi agreement that included recognizing "Israel" and a potential defense treaty with the United States.
Potential economic deals worth billions
Major Saudi economic deals in the 2025 visit may mirror those of the 2017 summit, when agreements worth more than $400 billion were signed, according to The Media Line.
Trump is also expected to visit Qatar and the UAE following his stay in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing speculation of further bilateral and regional economic announcements.
Saudi political analyst Ahmed Boushouki echoed this sentiment, stating, “This is about major economic deals that will take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Read next: Saudi Arabia reaffirms commitment to Palestinian statehood
"Perhaps President Donald Trump hinted at this when he told the American people to ‘buy stocks now, before his big announcement in the next two days.’”
According to the report, the summit may reignite discussions on US-Saudi nuclear cooperation. Saudi Arabia has had a peaceful nuclear energy program in place since 2010, and "International companies are now working to implement these projects in Saudi Arabia."
It is worth mentioning that Saudi Arabia is advancing plans to build its first nuclear reactor, with several global firms competing for the contract, while the UAE’s Barakah plant remains the Arab world’s only operational four-reactor facility, built with South Korea.
