Normalizing Ties Between Saudi Arabia and Israel Should Be Trump’s North Star When MBS Visits White House

November is shaping up to be an historic month at the White House. After welcoming Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to the Oval Office on November 10, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) will visit for the first time in seven years on November 18. The crown prince is the force behind the Saudi throne. He and President Donald Trump are expected to sign a series of agreements, including a potential U.S.-Saudi defense pact, during their upcoming meeting.

Senior U.S. and Saudi officials have held a series of talks this month, apparently laying the groundwork for MBS’s arrival in Washington. On November 10, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with the chief of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, to discuss “opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to boost significant investment into America.” The next day, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and White House envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss “Saudi-US relations” and “ways to bolster our strategic cooperation.” Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also reportedly paid a visit to MBS in Riyadh.

A U.S. Defense Pact Is at the Top of Riyadh’s Wish List

A defense pact with the United States has long been one of Riyadh’s core requests in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. The agreement, if forthcoming, is unlikely to be a formal defense treaty, which would require Senate approval, but a pledge similar to the executive order (EO) that Trump issued to deepen the U.S. commitment to Qatar on September 29. That EO, which came on the heels of Israel’s September 9 strike against Hamas operatives in Doha, set as “the policy of the United States to guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the state of Qatar against external attack.” While this amounts to an unprecedented security assurance to a Gulf ally, the EO is short of a NATO-like commitment to defend Qatar in the event of an attack. The Trump administration may finalize a similar assurance to Saudi Arabia during MBS’s visit.

$600 Billion in Deals and Counting

During Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia in May — his first trip abroad during his second term — the White House announced a $600 billion investment pledge from Riyadh, including “the largest defense sales agreement in history.” Six months later, many of the deals have yet to materialize. MBS’s visit is an occasion to follow up. Citing an unnamed source, CBS News reported that some of the deals could cross the finish line now that they have undergone review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment is planning to co-host an investment summit with the U.S.-Saudi Business Council on the sidelines of MBS’s Oval Office visit. The summit will reportedly take place in Washington on November 19 and provide a forum for exploring “new investment horizons across critical sectors, including energy, technology, financial services, infrastructure, and healthcare,” according to the event invitation.

Washington Mustn’t Lose Sight of the Abraham Accords

From security to economics, Trump should keep Saudi-Israeli normalization top of mind when MBS touches down in Washington. The Biden administration previously tied a U.S.-Saudi defense pact to normalization and held firm even as Riyadh dawdled. The Trump administration must not weaken the standard set by its predecessor by extending unconditional security assurances to Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, the administration should view any economic deals finalized or conceived not simply as transactions, but as a mechanism by which to lay the groundwork for eventually integrating Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. Developing these relationships today can help achieve longer-term strategic goals tomorrow.

Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.