Republican Senator John Kennedy has expressed reservations about former President Donald Trump's conditions for a U.S.-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal, breaking with the former president on the matter.
Trump has reportedly conditioned the deal on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, a move that Senator Kennedy believes is unlikely to materialize. "I don't think it's going to happen, anyway, because the President's conditioned it on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, and they're not, they're not going to do that," Kennedy stated.
Saudi Arabia has historically maintained that it would not normalize relations with Israel without a clear pathway toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. This long-standing position complicates Trump's demand, which was added as a post-signing condition.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland echoed concerns about the shifted conditions, describing it as "complete whiplash." He reiterated the Saudi stance: "The Saudis have been very clear that they will normalize relations with Israel when we’re on a clear path toward developing a Palestinian state, living side-by-side—security for both Palestinians and Israelis." Van Hollen characterized the Trump administration's approach as a "bait-and-switch scheme."
The controversy arises as the U.S. is also involved in efforts to prevent other nations from acquiring nuclear weapons. "We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country," the Republican Senator remarked, drawing a parallel between U.S. actions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously supported the idea of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, calling it "an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East." However, Trump's added condition appears to have introduced further uncertainty for some lawmakers.
Saudi officials did not immediately provide comment on the specific add-on condition imposed by Trump's administration.