As part of American efforts to reach a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which began with the administration of former President Donald Trump and intensified under current President Joe Biden, CNN has revealed details of a recent call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to CNN, Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, has emerged as a key diplomatic channel between Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Biden administration.
However, Graham and Mohammed bin Salman contacted former President Trump while Graham was in Saudi Arabia at the end of last month, according to CNN. Graham was in the Gulf Kingdom to discuss the potential deal that the Biden administration has been working on for over a year, which would normalize diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. CNN reported that Biden and his team of envoys found "an unexpected partner in Graham, who offered to rally Republican support for what could be a huge agreement, possibly including a U.S.-Saudi defense pact and steps towards a two-state solution" in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
CNN disclosed the behind-the-scenes details of the Trump-Mohammed bin Salman call, which was first reported by The New York Times on April 4. Last month, Graham and Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Trump for approximately 5 minutes, according to two knowledgeable sources. The "conversation was friendly and consisted mostly of exchanging pleasantries and informal talks about the U.S. presidential election," according to the same source, as mentioned in Al-Hurra.
One source stated, "At one point, Trump promoted his poll numbers," while the two sources noted that "the normalization agreement (between Israel and Saudi Arabia) was not mentioned even once" during that call. The call summarizes how "Trump looms on the horizon" regarding an agreement that U.S., Israeli, and Saudi officials see as vital for achieving lasting stability in the Middle East. While the former president remains aware of the discussions, he is "not engaged in them," according to informed individuals speaking to CNN.
The potential agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is seen as an extension of the work accomplished by the Trump administration to normalize relations between Arab states and Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, which resulted in establishing diplomatic relations between the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Israel. Any new American treaty would need approval from the Senate, and there is genuine concern among some participants in the current discussions that "Trump might try to sabotage any deal for the Biden administration, as he did when he urged Republicans in Congress not to support the bipartisan immigration deal earlier this year," according to CNN.
While close associates of Trump say he "believes he can negotiate a better deal with the Saudis if he is able to return to the White House," the former president is also not looking to engage or actively work to thwart any kind of normalization agreement during Biden's tenure, as stated by sources that CNN did not identify. An associate of the former president said, "For Trump, this potential deal is not at the top of his priorities at all," adding that "he should continue to focus on inflation, the economy, and crime." The source continued, "I wouldn't advise him to veer off that path. I don't think the dynamics are there."
Another source close to Trump told CNN that the former president and his team "are also aware that any attempt to obstruct negotiations between the Biden administration and foreign leaders would amount to a violation of the Logan Act." Two American officials – whose identities CNN did not disclose – stated that the call between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman "did not go unnoticed in the White House, although they clarified that there is no evidence it affected the talks between Biden’s envoys and their Saudi counterparts, which have been ongoing for months."
Graham informed Biden officials about that call, saying they "understand why he wants to keep Trump informed." The senator himself told CNN that he is "doing everything he can to ensure the deal is made during Biden's term, partly because he believes that Biden will have a better chance of rallying Democratic support in Congress," according to Al-Hurra.
