Overview
- Mohammed bin Salman meets President Trump at the White House on Nov. 18 in his first U.S. trip since 2018, with U.S. intelligence assessing him responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s killing but his status shielding him from arrest.
- Talks focus on potential F‑35 fighter sales, access to U.S. artificial intelligence and civil nuclear cooperation, a possible defense pact, and sizable Saudi investments.
- Reporting indicates Washington is prepared to sell F‑35s, while Israel urges making any sale contingent on Saudi recognition, and Saudi officials have told the Palestinian Authority they will not recognize Israel under the current Israeli coalition.
- Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Nov. 16 his opposition to a Palestinian state, underscoring the core hurdle to a U.S.-brokered Saudi‑Israel accord.
- The New York Times reported a major Trump Organization real‑estate project in Saudi Arabia, spotlighting questions about overlapping business interests and official diplomacy.