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Opinion: Why tying a Saudi nuclear deal to Israel is a strategic mistake
The future of https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/us-saudi-arabia-relations" target="_blank">US-Saudi Arabia relations may hinge less on grand declarations than on Washington's ability to distinguish between strategic interests and political aspirations.
If the https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us" target="_blank">United States conditions a https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/22/us-and-saudi-arabia-announce-nuclear-cooperation-deal" target="_blank">civilian nuclear agreement with https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/saudi-arabia" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia on the kingdom's immediate accession to the https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-normalisation-deals" target="_blank">Abraham Accords, it would be collapsing two fundamentally different policy objectives into a single diplomatic test.
Such an approach may appear to increase American leverage.
In practice, it is more likely to diminish US influence while accelerating the emergence of a more multipolar Middle East.
The issue is not whether https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-normalisation-deals" target="_blank">normalisation between Saudi Arabia and https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank">Israel would serve regional interests.
There are persuasive arguments that it eventually could.
Rather, the question is whether Washington can realistically expect Riyadh to abandon a position it has https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-crown-prince-says-no-normalisation-israel-without-palestinian-statehood" target="_blank">articulated with remarkable consistency for more than two decades: that formal normalisation must follow – not precede – a credible pathway towards https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/palestine-state" target="_blank">Palestinian statehood.
Read more: https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/why-tying-saudi-nuclear-deal-israel-strategic-mistake">Why tying a Saudi nuclear deal to Israel is a strategic mistake Opinion by https://www.middleeasteye.net/users/dr-ahmed-altuwaijri" title="View user profile.">Dr Ahmed Altuwaijri
