White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not request making the Abraham Accords a condition of the U.S.–Saudi nuclear agreement [1].
This clarification addresses whether the Israeli government is actively pressuring the U.S. to link civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia to a formal normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a linkage would fundamentally alter the diplomatic leverage used in Middle East security negotiations.
During a press briefing in Washington, D.C., Leavitt responded to inquiries regarding the proposed civilian nuclear pact [1]. She said that, to her knowledge, the Israeli leader was not the source of the requirement to include the Abraham Accords as a prerequisite for the deal [1].
Leavitt instead attributed the strategy to the U.S. presidency. "That idea has long been championed by President Donald Trump," Leavitt said [1].
The Abraham Accords, which previously brokered peace between Israel and several Arab nations, have been viewed by the Trump administration as a primary tool for regional stability. By proposing this condition, the administration seeks to ensure that Saudi nuclear capabilities are tied to a broader geopolitical shift toward Israeli-Saudi cooperation [2].
Despite the administration's goals, the White House maintains that the specific request for this condition did not originate from Netanyahu [1]. "It’s not to my knowledge that Mr. Netanyahu requested that the Abraham Accords be a condition of the Saudi nuclear deal," Leavitt said [1].
The move highlights the distinction between the policy preferences of the U.S. executive branch, and the formal requests made by its allies in the region [1, 2].
“"It’s not to my knowledge that Mr. Netanyahu requested that the Abraham Accords be a condition of the Saudi nuclear deal."”
This distinction suggests that the U.S. administration is driving the regional strategy of 'linkage' independently of Israeli demands. By framing the Abraham Accords condition as a Trump-led initiative rather than a Netanyahu request, the White House may be attempting to shield the Israeli Prime Minister from regional backlash while still pursuing a policy that forces Saudi Arabia to choose between nuclear technology and diplomatic isolation from Israel.
