Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Syrian President Abu Mohammad al-Julani will meet with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Quds website reported today (Sunday).
The proposal for the meeting, according to the report, came from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was approved by the American president.
The source who spoke to the Al-Quds reporter said that the Saudi Crown Prince expects to receive approval from Trump for the establishment of a Palestinian state. He also said that achieving this goal would be considered "one of the most important and greatest achievements of Saudi diplomacy."
Last week, Reuters reported that the United States has dropped its requirement that Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel as a condition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation. This change in approach comes as US President Donald Trump prepares for a diplomatic visit to the kingdom, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Previously, nuclear negotiations were linked to a broader deal involving a US-Saudi defense agreement and the normalization of Saudi-Israel relations. However, Saudi officials have maintained that they will not formalize ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state, a position that has gained further traction amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Despite revived engagement, a civil nuclear deal remains elusive. One of the primary obstacles is Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to accept the nonproliferation requirements outlined in Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act. This legislation restricts uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, both of which are viewed as pathways to nuclear weapons development.