The Shortest Route to Mideast Peace is Through Saudi Arabia

The recent flare-up at the Temple Mount, also known Haram Al Sharif, in Jerusalem reminds American foreign policy makers of the sensitivity of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Israel increased security on the Haram Al Sharif last month after a shooting at the holy site left two Israeli policemen dead, prompting protests in Jordan, among other places in the Middle East, and major Arab newspapers to attack Israel for its security crackdown. This series of events should serve as a wake-up call to the Trump Administration to stop kicking the can down the road.

Due to significant regional shifts over the past few decades, it now appears that the best and shortest route to achieve a two-state solution and a Palestinian state is through Saudi Arabia and no longer through Egypt and Jordan, whom Washington relied on for many years. Both countries have lost their places at the helm of the Arab world as Egypt is plagued by severe economic hardships and internal political divisions while Jordan lacks the regional political clout to sell a peace deal with Israel to the Arab world.