Israeli officials lower expectations for Saudi normalization, citing Riyadh’s limited interest despite Trump’s optimism and refusal of an Israeli evacuation request

Israeli officials are tempering expectations for normalization with Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh has shown little appetite to advance relations despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s optimism that the Abraham Accords are back on the table. A senior Israeli diplomatic official told i24NEWS there was no evidence a dramatic move was imminent, though future developments remained uncertain.

Saudi Arabia was close to advancing a normalization deal before October 7. But over the past three years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has moved significantly further away from the prospect of relations, partly because of domestic public opinion.

Israel has provided intelligence assistance to Riyadh against the Houthis. Yet Saudi authorities refused to allow an Israeli aircraft to evacuate passengers after a FlyDubai flight made an emergency landing on Saudi territory. An Israeli source told i24NEWS that Riyadh continues to show minimal interest in moving the normalization process forward.