A Trump-brokered normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia could soon be on the cards as Netanyahu is expected to discuss the matter with the US President [Getty/file photo]
A number of billboards featuring US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shaking hands in front of an Israeli flag have been spotted across Washington and Israel.
The billboards also feature the slogan “Israel is Ready”, in what can be interpreted as a push for normalisation between Tel Aviv and Riyadh amid Trump’s return to the White House.
The billboards were seemingly designed and orchestrated by the Coalition for Regional Security, a campaign group set up following the events of 7 October 2023 and comprised of “experts” on security, diplomacy, business, high-tech, and research fields brought together to “ensure the security of the State of Israel through the promotion of Abraham Shield Plan”.
The group’s website front page shows images of Arab leaders signing the Abraham Accords deal as well as leaders from the region meeting with US and Israeli politicians over the years.
The group lists among its principles the “de-Hamasfication of Gaza”, countering Iran and the Axis of Resistance through buffer zones in Syria and other plans, as well as “returning to a fast-track normalisation with Saudi Arabia and expanding the Abraham Accords”.
“President Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – this is the moment to reshape history,” the Coalition for Regional Security said in a statement, as cited by The Jerusalem Post.
“Saudi-Israel normalisation will transform the Middle East, securing our shared future against Iranian aggression and regional instability. It’s time for moderate forces to come together. It’s time for a new regional order. The day after is now. We are ready. Israel is ready.”
The posters come as talks on Saudi-Israel normalisation have resurfaced following Trump’s return as US President, and as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet the Republicans on Tuesday, where the topic is expected to be discussed.
Trump has expressed a desire to move fast with the agreement, which could have a seismic impact on the Middle East and solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Trump has already taken credit for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on 19 January. The first phase of the ceasefire so far has seen the release of 15 Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
In 202o, Trump previously oversaw a number of Arab countries normalise ties with Israel, including Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco, 2020 under the so-called Abraham Accords, triggering uproar within much of the Arab world and among Palestinians, who decried the move as a betrayal to their cause.
Soon after, the Gulf kingdom was hotly tipped to become the fifth country from the Arab world to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, though such talks froze following the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, which has killed at least 61,709 Palestinians, as more bodies continue to be recovered from under rubble.
The 15-month-long war devasted the Palestinian enclave, rendering much of it inhabitable. Saudi Arabia had also condemned Israel’s conduct and said normalisation would not occur unless a Palestinian state was recognised. Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition have repeatedly rejected the notion of a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, has expressed support for normalisation with Saudi Arabia, though he warned that such a deal must not come at the expense of ending Israel’s war in Gaza, or hopes of a Palestinian state.
In a meeting with Religious Zionism members – the party that he heads -, Smotrich said that a deal would only occur on the condition that it is based “on truth, not lies suggesting that Arabs have national rights in the Land of Israel,” Haaretz reported.
In his speech, Smotrich maintained that Hamas “must be dismantled”, and voiced confidence that Netanyahu wouldn’t agree to a normalisation deal that would include a pathway to a Palestinian state.
The extremist minister and proponent of the war in Gaza and further Israeli control of the occupied West Bank, rejected the notion of a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia if Riyadh required an independent Palestinian state.
