By Staff, Agencies

A Gulf diplomatic source has revealed that US President Donald Trump is expected to announce official US recognition of a Palestinian state—excluding Hamas—during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.

This potential declaration is set to take place during a Gulf-US summit in Riyadh, scheduled for mid-May, marking Trump’s first visit to the kingdom during his second presidential term.

This summit mirrors the 2017 Gulf-US summit, also held in Riyadh, which was notable for major economic and military deals. Trump’s recent comments—teasing a “very important announcement” during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 6—have sparked speculation about the nature of this announcement. Rumors have centered around a wide range of agreements involving security, military, artificial intelligence, and economic partnerships.

According to a Gulf diplomatic source speaking to The Media Line, “President Donald Trump will issue a declaration regarding the State of Palestine and American recognition of it, and that there will be the establishment of a Palestinian state without the presence of Hamas.” The source stressed that if confirmed, this would represent a seismic shift in Middle East geopolitics and could encourage more countries to join the so-called Abraham Accords—a series of normalization deals between some Arab regimes and the “Israeli” entity.

While all Gulf leaders are expected to attend, King Salman bin Abdulaziz will be absent due to ongoing health issues.

The unnamed source also noted that economic agreements would feature prominently, including potential exemptions from tariffs for Gulf states. However, many of these agreements have already been disclosed in advance.

Some observers remain skeptical of the Palestine angle. Former Gulf diplomat Ahmed Al-Ibrahim told The Media Line, “I don't expect it to be about Palestine. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan have not been invited. They are the two countries closest to Palestine, and it would be important for them to be present at any event like this.”

Instead, Al-Ibrahim expects the summit to focus on high-stakes economic announcements. “This is clear because President Donald Trump intends to visit the UAE and Qatar after concluding his visit to Saudi Arabia. These are two important economies with significant financial resources and major investments in the United States,” he added.

In the 2017 summit, Saudi Arabia signed deals worth more than $400 billion, and more recently, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have pledged a combined $1.6 trillion in investments into the US economy.

Saudi analyst Ahmed Boushouki said the summit is likely centered on economic partnerships. “Perhaps President Trump hinted at this when he told the American people to ‘buy stocks now, before his big announcement in the next two days.’”

On the energy front, speculation continues about renewed talks on peaceful US-Saudi nuclear cooperation for electricity generation. Boushouki confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s civil nuclear ambitions date back to 2010, and work is already underway to build the kingdom’s first nuclear reactor. Several international companies are vying for the contract.

Meanwhile, the UAE remains the only Arab country operating a nuclear power plant, the four-reactor Barakah facility, developed in partnership with South Korea.

While the outcome of the summit remains uncertain, recognition of a Palestinian state—if declared—would be a major diplomatic milestone. Yet any effort that excludes legitimate Palestinian resistance factions or avoids addressing the realities of occupation and apartheid by the “Israeli” entity risks undermining the justice that Palestinians have long struggled to achieve.