U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing a declaration next week to recognize the State of Palestine, but without the presence of Hamas, according to sources reported by the U.S. agency covering the Middle East, “The Media Line.” The news has also been broadcast by one of Israel’s largest media outlets, “The Jerusalem Post.”
Trump will participate in the Gulf – U.S. summit next week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A diplomatic source from the Gulf told “The Media Line” that Trump will make a statement at the summit regarding “the establishment of the State of Palestine and its recognition by America, but without the presence of Hamas.”
“If an announcement is made regarding U.S. recognition of the State of Palestine, it will be the most important statement that will change the balance of power in the Middle East, and more countries will join the Abraham Accords,” said the source.
The Abraham Accords are a series of historic agreements to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries, mediated by the U.S. during Trump’s first presidency in 2020.
During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on May 6, Trump warned that a “big announcement” would soon be made, without specifying what it would be about.
Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, a former Gulf diplomat, however, expressed skepticism about Trump’s potential recognition of Palestine. According to him, this summit is expected to involve major economic agreements, similar to those of 2017.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reached economic agreements with the U.S. for trillions of dollars in investments.
At this year’s summit, in addition to economic agreements, discussions could also cover U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation.
