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Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Nov. 18, 2025. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia depends on the kingdom recognizing Israel — throwing the agreement into turmoil just the day after it was signed.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorSaudi Arabia has said it will not normalize ties until Israel accepts Palestinian statehood, something the Israeli government has ruled out.The civilian nuclear deal announced on Wednesday had appeared to be a major win for the Saudis, especially coming as Trump wages war on Iran in large part over concerns about Tehran’s own atomic program.But Trump threw a gigantic spanner into the works with his post on his Truth Social network saying the Saudi deal “will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.”Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe White House insisted that the Saudis knew the deal was contingent on recognizing Israel, despite the fact that it was not mentioned when the deal was announced.“The president is always the final dealmaker, as you know,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, adding that the Abraham Accords were “something that he feels very strongly about and has spoken about it in the past and will continue to uphold.”Leavitt said Washington would “continue to have those conversations with our Saudi counterparts” to finalize a deal including recognition of Israel.Trump has increased pressure on the kingdom and other countries in the region to join the Abraham Accords. Saudi Arabia is the biggest Arab power in the Middle East and Trump has long desired its participation in order to strengthen the pact and bolster Israel’s long-term security in the region. “Saudi Arabia’s joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Thursday.The prospect of Israel agreeing to Palestinian statehood in the near future is remote, given renewed hostilities in the Middle East following Hamas’s attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.The president’s new condition also mirrors the stance of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who also sought to link the provision of nuclear technology to the Saudis with normalizing relations with Israel and Israeli concessions to the Palestinians. Leavitt said she did not know of any calls between Trump and Netanyahu following the announcement of the Saudi agreement.Should it go through, the deal to establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia would generate billions of dollars for American companies, but with Trump’s latest announcement, it was unclear whether it would ever see the light of day.If Washington “tries to force normalization on Riyadh, it’s not likely to work out very well”, said H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.“Would Saudi decide to do a complete 180 on what it has declared for the past three years, or 30 years? Quite dubious,” he told AFP.Critics have also insisted that the deal could precipitate a nuclear race in a region already battered by war.One provision would potentially see U.S. companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported.Saudi Arabia’s joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle EastThe U.S. Energy Department made no mention of such a provision and did not offer comment when asked about it by AFP.And Trump seemingly quashed it by saying on Truth Social that there would be “no enrichment of material!”The deal will be submitted to Congress for review.U.S. lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have previously voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons program.”Riyadh, like Tehran, has long been adamant about its right to pursue a civilian nuclear program. Last year it signed a mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.Policymakers have long feared that if Iran produced a nuclear weapon, the move would set off an arms race across the Gulf.U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed concerns, insisting the deal was in Washington’s economic and strategic interest and involved the “highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation.”The United States has agreements governing nuclear cooperation with more than 50 countries.The Saudi deal meanwhile comes as Riyadh looks set to be dragged further into the Middle East war, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels starting to attack ships in the Red Sea to enforce what they say is a blockade on Saudi Arabia.Trump vowed to punish both Iran and the Houthis if the attacks continue.— With files from Bloomberg Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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