This Trump-MBS Bromance Was Brought to You by Benjamin Netanyahu

First, it further internationalizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, complementing the French-Saudi “Recognition of a Palestinian State” initiative from September. “Internationalization” is something Israel has adamantly opposed for many years. A Palestinian state is something Netanyahu vociferously rejects and vows to never accept. He made false claims that the issue is no longer relevant on the international stage, before the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing devastating war in Gaza, explaining that Israel is on the verge of normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia without any reference to the Palestinian issue.

Second, the fact that the resolution was an American initiative demonstrates that the United States no longer accepts Israeli intransigence at face value. After the U.S. recently coerced Israel into a ceasefire it did not want, this seems like a rare willingness by an American government to actually pressure Israel.

On Tuesday, at the White House, a very welcome Trump ally and buddy is receiving a lavish reception. Mohammed bin Salman, MBS in short, is in town. In May 2025, during a visit to Saudi Arabia, his first as president, Trump ceremoniously announced, “Over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia has proved critics wrong,” adding—in a stark departure from a post-1945 U.S. foreign policy tenet—that the days when the United States tells other countries how to govern themselves and what system of government they should have are over.