Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday his country wanted to normalise relations with Israel through US President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords, but first needed a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path to a two-state solution,” the prince said in the Oval Office alongside Trump.
“We’re going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible,” he added.
Trump said that he received a “positive response” from the Saudi crown prince about joining the Abraham Accords.
The US president made the remarks in response to a question during a joint press conference with the Saudi Crown Prince, also known as MBS, during his visit to Washington.
When asked about selling F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Trump replied in the affirmative, adding that they would be “pretty similar” to those owned by Israel, the jet’s sole operator in the Middle East.
“When you look at the F-35 and you’re asking me if it’s the same, I think it’s going to be pretty similar,” he explained. “They’ve been a great ally, Israel’s been a great ally and we’re looking at that exactly right now. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both at a level where they should get top of the line.”
In response to another question about a defence agreement between Washington and Riyadh, Trump said he and MBS have “pretty much reached an agreement”. When asked if the aforementioned F-35 jets would be part of the agreement, Trump said that it would be a separate deal.
“We’re going to sell them F-35s. We’re going to have a deal, they’re going to … buy them from Lockheed,” Trump said, referring to the aircraft’s manufacturer.
MBS arrives at the White House
Earlier, President Donald Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, with the Saudi de facto ruler seeking to further rehabilitate his global image after the 2018 killing of United States-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi and deepen ties with Washington.
Making his first White House visit in more than seven years, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn, complete with a military honour guard, a cannon salute and a flyover by US warplanes.
