July 14, 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Goldberg/Flash90)
Riyadh reportedly expressed willingness to join Abraham Accords and normalize ties with Israel – but only if Prime Minister Netanyahu is replaced and reversal of pro-settlement policies in Judea and Samaria.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Saudi Arabia has signaled that it may be prepared to reopen negotiations over normalizing relations with Israel, but only after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is replaced and key policies advanced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Judea and Samaria are reversed, according to an Israeli media report.
Israel Hayom reported Monday that representatives of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had delivered the message several weeks ago to the White House, the State Department, and several members of Congress.
The newspaper cited three sources familiar with diplomatic discussions in Washington. Saudi Arabia, the White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office had not publicly confirmed the reported conditions.;
According to the report, Riyadh’s two principal demands are that Netanyahu no longer serve as prime minister following Israel’s October election and that a future Israeli government cancel measures implemented by Smotrich in Judea and Samaria during the past three years.
American officials who received the Saudi messages reportedly concluded that Riyadh views the two demands as connected. Saudi officials are said to believe that Netanyahu will continue supporting Smotrich’s policies as long as he remains in power.
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The report did not provide a complete list of the measures Saudi Arabia wants reversed. Smotrich, who exercises authority over parts of Israel’s Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria, has promoted the establishment and recognition of additional settlements, accelerated housing approvals and supported changes intended to strengthen long-term Israeli control of the territory.
In June, after an Israeli planning committee approved more than 2,100 homes in three settlements, Smotrich said: “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice.”
The Israeli government has also approved the establishment or recognition of dozens of settlements and restarted land-registration procedures in Area C.;
The reported Saudi conditions go further than Riyadh’s previously declared public position by appearing to link normalization to the identity of Israel’s next prime minister. Saudi officials have consistently demanded substantial movement toward Palestinian statehood, but they have generally avoided publicly endorsing or rejecting individual Israeli candidates.
Israel Hayom previously reported in October 2025 that a senior Saudi source had ruled out normalization with Israel’s current government after Smotrich made disparaging comments about Saudi Arabia.
“The ignorant minister’s words reflect the character of the current Israeli government,” the source said at the time.
Smotrich later apologized for the remark that prompted the dispute, saying it had been “ill-considered” and that he regretted the offense it caused.
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Saudi Arabia’s official conditions for diplomatic relations have centered on the Palestinian issue. The Saudi Foreign Ministry has said that “there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized,” based on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.;
The ministry has also demanded an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reinforced that position in a 2024 address, saying Saudi Arabia would continue working toward a Palestinian state and “will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that.”
Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent Gaza war, Riyadh and Washington had made significant progress toward a broader agreement involving Saudi recognition of Israel, a United States-Saudi defense arrangement and American assistance for a Saudi civilian nuclear program.
The Gaza war halted that momentum and increased the political price Saudi leaders attached to normalization. Riyadh subsequently moved from seeking limited Israeli concessions toward demanding a credible and irreversible route to Palestinian statehood.
Despite those obstacles, American officials have continued exploring a possible agreement. Axios reported Sunday that Sen. Lindsey Graham had been working shortly before his death on an initiative to revive Saudi-Israeli negotiations after Israel’s October 27 election and the United States’ November midterm elections.
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Graham reportedly believed a deal would require Israel’s next government to accept meaningful measures toward the eventual creation of a Palestinian state. A proposed American defense treaty with Saudi Arabia would also need the approval of two-thirds of the US Senate.
Israel Hayom said Saudi Arabia had considered recognizing Israel several times during the war in exchange for major Israeli concessions, including an explicit declaration by Netanyahu that he was prepared in principle to accept a Palestinian state in the future. Netanyahu rejected those demands.
Some officials familiar with Saudi diplomacy cautioned that proposals of this kind can be intended “for the process, and not necessarily the result” — allowing Riyadh to demonstrate to Washington that it remains willing to discuss regional diplomacy without necessarily expecting an agreement under present political conditions.
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