Despite differences over the Arab-Israeli conflict and human rights, the US and Saudi Arabia have maintained a strong alliance for more than seven decades. It’s been based on a simple formula — military protection in return for a reliable flow of oil supplies to the world. Now, with Saudi enthusiast Donald Trump back in the White House, the two countries appear headed toward an even tighter embrace. As he did in his first term, Trump is making his first official foreign trip to Saudi Arabia, with plans to arrive May 13.
Although Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had a more ambivalent attitude toward the kingdom, his administration came close to strengthening the relationship in a deal that would have involved Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. That process was derailed when the Palestinian group Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, attacked Israel in October 2023, setting off a brutal war in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 52,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Saudis want Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. The Hamas attack and subsequent war have hardened both the Saudi request and Israel’s refusal, placing the three-way deal on ice.
