Saudi Arabia is reportedly postponing any major move toward normalization with Israel until after Israeli parliamentary elections, signaling growing regional caution despite renewed pressure from US President Donald Trump to expand the Abraham Accords across the Middle East.
The reported Saudi decision reflects mounting political and diplomatic tensions across the region, particularly as the Gaza war continues to inflame public opinion throughout the Arab world and complicate Washington’s broader regional strategy. According to Axios, citing Israeli and US officials, Riyadh does not intend to advance normalization talks before elections expected in Israel later this year.
The development marks another setback for Trump’s effort to secure what his administration views as a historic geopolitical achievement: bringing Saudi Arabia, the most influential Arab power and custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, into formal diplomatic relations with Israel under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
According to Axios, Trump urged several Muslim-majority countries during a regional diplomatic call to join the Abraham Accords if Washington succeeds in reaching a broader understanding with Iran. The reported conversation included leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan. The US president reportedly framed normalization as part of a wider Middle East security architecture designed to reshape regional alliances, isolate armed resistance groups, and strengthen US influence after years of instability across West Asia.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed the Abraham Accords as one of the most significant diplomatic accomplishments of his political career. The agreements, first launched in 2020, resulted in normalization deals between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE and Bahrain. However, Saudi Arabia has remained the ultimate prize for Washington and Tel Aviv. A formal Saudi-Israeli agreement would transform the political balance of the Middle East, providing Israel with unprecedented legitimacy in the Arab and Islamic world while further strengthening US-led regional blocs against Iran and allied movements. Yet Riyadh appears increasingly unwilling to move quickly.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has dramatically altered the political environment surrounding normalization efforts. Public anger across the Arab and Muslim world has surged since the outbreak of the war, with widespread demonstrations, diplomatic condemnations and calls for stronger action against Israel. Saudi Arabia, while maintaining communication channels with Washington, has repeatedly emphasized that any normalization process would require credible progress toward Palestinian statehood.
Analysts say Riyadh now faces enormous domestic and regional pressure to avoid appearing aligned with Israel while civilian casualties in Gaza continue to dominate international headlines. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously shown openness toward a possible agreement with Israel as part of a larger package involving US security guarantees, defense cooperation, advanced weapons access and support for a civilian nuclear program. But the Gaza war significantly complicated those calculations, according to Reuters. Saudi officials have also become increasingly skeptical about the political future of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the stability of Israeli domestic politics. Israeli elections later this year are expected to reshape coalition dynamics inside the country, with growing divisions over Gaza, security policy and the future of Palestinian territories. By waiting until after the elections, Saudi Arabia may be attempting to avoid committing itself to a diplomatic framework that could collapse under political instability inside Israel.
Saudi Arabia’s cautious approach reflects the kingdom’s broader balancing strategy between maintaining ties with Washington while protecting its leadership position in the Islamic world. For years, Riyadh quietly expanded indirect contacts with Israel through intelligence coordination, regional security discussions and US-backed diplomatic channels. However, Saudi leaders consistently avoided taking public steps toward normalization with Israel without broader concessions related to Palestine.
The kingdom’s leadership understands that normalization with Israel remains deeply unpopular across much of the Arab world, particularly during periods of heightened violence involving Palestinians. Saudi Arabia has simultaneously sought to position itself as a leader of regional diplomacy, mediating conflicts, improving relations with Iran through Chinese-backed agreements and presenting itself as a stabilizing power independent from traditional US regional priorities. That strategy increasingly clashes with Washington’s desire to rapidly expand the Abraham Accords. The Biden administration had also attempted to secure a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal before leaving office, but negotiations stalled amid disagreements over security guarantees, nuclear cooperation and the Gaza conflict. Trump’s renewed push appears aimed at reviving those discussions through a more aggressive diplomatic framework tied to Iran negotiations.
Washington appears to be attempting a dual-track strategy: reducing the immediate risk of direct confrontation with Iran while simultaneously building a broader coalition of Arab states aligned with Israel. Analysts believe the US sees normalization as a tool for reshaping regional alliances against Tehran’s influence. But Saudi Arabia itself has increasingly pursued a more pragmatic relationship with Iran in recent years. The Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iran rapprochement marked a major shift in regional diplomacy and demonstrated Riyadh’s willingness to diversify its strategic partnerships beyond Washington. Since then, Saudi leaders have emphasized de-escalation and regional stability rather than direct confrontation with Tehran. That diplomatic repositioning may partly explain Riyadh’s hesitation to aggressively pursue normalization with Israel at a time when tensions involving Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran remain volatile. Saudi Arabia also appears wary of becoming entangled in Israel’s internal political crises or broader regional conflicts that could damage its long-term economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030.
While the Abraham Accords were initially celebrated by Washington as a transformative breakthrough, the agreements remain controversial across much of the Middle East. Critics argue the accords sidelined the Palestinian issue while rewarding Israel diplomatically without meaningful concessions regarding occupation or statehood. The Gaza war has revived those criticisms and intensified scrutiny of Arab governments that normalized relations with Israel. Several regional governments now face growing domestic pressure over their ties with Tel Aviv, particularly as humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue deteriorating. Saudi Arabia’s reported decision to postpone normalization could therefore signal a broader regional recalibration rather than a temporary diplomatic delay. The kingdom’s position carries enormous symbolic importance because of its religious status and geopolitical influence. Without Saudi participation, efforts to portray the Abraham Accords as a comprehensive regional transformation remain incomplete.
Despite Washington’s continued pressure, the future of Saudi-Israeli normalization remains uncertain. Much will depend on developments inside Israel, the trajectory of the Gaza war, US-Iran diplomacy and broader shifts in Middle East power dynamics over the coming months. Israeli elections could either revive normalization efforts or deepen political fragmentation inside the country. At the same time, regional public opinion continues moving sharply against Israel amid ongoing violence in Palestinian territories.
For Saudi Arabia, delaying normalization may provide strategic flexibility while avoiding immediate political risks. For Trump, however, the delay represents another obstacle to securing a landmark foreign policy victory that he hopes could redefine US influence in the Middle East and strengthen Washington’s regional alliance structure. As the region enters another period of political uncertainty, Saudi Arabia appears determined to move cautiously rather than rush into an agreement that could carry significant geopolitical and domestic consequences. Sources indicate Riyadh’s current priority is preserving regional stability and protecting its diplomatic leverage rather than delivering a rapid breakthrough sought by Washington and Tel Aviv.
