The visit of the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to Washington is a direct continuation of President Trump’s successful visit to Riyadh and marks another stage in the deepening of the Washington–Riyadh axis. The royal reception emphasized the message that Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner of the United States, with a status similar to that of Israel. The visit included the signing of a series of understandings and agreements with significant strategic implications for the regional arena and for Israel. Among other things, the agreements include Trump’s commitment to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 aircraft, as well as cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, critical minerals, advanced technologies, and security.
The signing of the Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA) between the United States and Saudi Arabia constitutes a major milestone. The agreement anchors an 80-year-old security relationship and strengthens deterrence against Iran.
The declaration of cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, despite stating that strict non-proliferation standards will be established, raises significant questions for Israel due to Saudi Arabia’s entry into the nuclear domain. However, from Israel’s perspective, close American involvement in this field is preferable to penetration by Russia or China.
The deepening of cooperation between Riyadh and Washington in the fields of AI and critical minerals strengthens the United States vis-à-vis China. This is a clear Israeli interest: maintaining Western influence over core technologies in the Middle East contributes to regional stability and reduces the risk of misuse of advanced capabilities.
For Israel, the agreement presents both opportunity and risk: enhanced US–Saudi security cooperation may create a new regional dialogue and even support future normalization processes, although at this stage, the crown prince continues to link this to progress toward establishing a Palestinian state. At the same time, the supply of advanced weapons systems to Saudi Arabia, first and foremost the F-35, requires a reassessment of the mechanisms for preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge and an understanding of the extent to which the implementation of these deals will be conditioned on advancing normalization between the two countries.
The visit illustrates a trend of strategic rapprochement intended to strengthen the pro-Western front and deepen American involvement in the region. For Israel, this is a development that changes the rules of the game: It may advance regional stability, but it also requires close monitoring of the balance of power, the emerging nuclear cooperation process, and the implications of arms sales for the strategic environment.
The visit of the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to Washington is a direct continuation of President Trump’s successful visit to Riyadh and marks another stage in the deepening of the Washington–Riyadh axis. The royal reception emphasized the message that Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner of the United States, with a status similar to that of Israel. The visit included the signing of a series of understandings and agreements with significant strategic implications for the regional arena and for Israel. Among other things, the agreements include Trump’s commitment to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 aircraft, as well as cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, critical minerals, advanced technologies, and security.
The signing of the Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA) between the United States and Saudi Arabia constitutes a major milestone. The agreement anchors an 80-year-old security relationship and strengthens deterrence against Iran.
The declaration of cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, despite stating that strict non-proliferation standards will be established, raises significant questions for Israel due to Saudi Arabia’s entry into the nuclear domain. However, from Israel’s perspective, close American involvement in this field is preferable to penetration by Russia or China.
The deepening of cooperation between Riyadh and Washington in the fields of AI and critical minerals strengthens the United States vis-à-vis China. This is a clear Israeli interest: maintaining Western influence over core technologies in the Middle East contributes to regional stability and reduces the risk of misuse of advanced capabilities.
For Israel, the agreement presents both opportunity and risk: enhanced US–Saudi security cooperation may create a new regional dialogue and even support future normalization processes, although at this stage, the crown prince continues to link this to progress toward establishing a Palestinian state. At the same time, the supply of advanced weapons systems to Saudi Arabia, first and foremost the F-35, requires a reassessment of the mechanisms for preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge and an understanding of the extent to which the implementation of these deals will be conditioned on advancing normalization between the two countries.
The visit illustrates a trend of strategic rapprochement intended to strengthen the pro-Western front and deepen American involvement in the region. For Israel, this is a development that changes the rules of the game: It may advance regional stability, but it also requires close monitoring of the balance of power, the emerging nuclear cooperation process, and the implications of arms sales for the strategic environment.