MUST-READS

• Normalization and Displacement: Saudi Arabia and Trump’s Gaza Proposal

  For Saudi Arabia, Palestinian displacement significantly stymies the prospects of normalization. Thus, the two projects are not merely intersecting but fundamentally incompatible. This incompatibility represents one of the potential sources of disagreement with Trump in his second term, alongside his demands for lower oil prices, which conflict with Saudi Arabia’s interest in maintaining high oil prices to fund its domestic needs and Vision 2030 projects. The kingdom is beginning to realize that dealing with Trump in a second term will be more challenging than during his first. Nevertheless, the overall atmosphere between the two sides remains positive. Trump chose Saudi Arabia to host a February 18 US-Russian summit, and Saudi Arabia has avoided any negative remarks about Trump in the current crisis, focusing its criticism on Israel.

• Saudi crown prince invites leaders of GCC, Jordan, Egypt for informal meeting in Riyadh

  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan, and Egypt for a meeting in Riyadh on Friday, an official source stated on Thursday. The informal gathering follows similar meetings that have been held periodically for many years between the leaders of GCC countries, Jordan, and Egypt, enhancing cooperation and coordination. “Joint Arab action and any relevant decisions will be included in the agenda of the upcoming Extraordinary Arab Summit, which will be held in Egypt” on March 4, the source added.

• Why Is Saudi Arabia Seeking To Mediate A Deal Between U.S. And Iran?

  “Riyadh is looking for a way to address concerns around Iran's nuclear program, as well as its regional activities and its support for proxies,” says Gregory Brew, senior analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group. “Given Riyadh's interest in avoiding an escalation in the Gulf, it probably sees diplomacy as a more effective means of addressing these issues, rather than military action,” he added. “Saudi Arabia's willingness to moderate between Tehran and Washington was not borne of a political vacuum,” said Behnam Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). “By stylistically accommodating Tehran through diplomatic normalization but substantively remaining in the Western orbit, Riyadh is hoping to insulate itself from being the place where a larger regional conflict involving Iran is adjudicated.”

• Tiger Woods joins another White House meeting as PGA Tour moves closer to Saudi deal

  Tiger Woods joined PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott in a second White House meeting Thursday with President Donald Trump, another sign the sport is moving rapidly toward ending the division brought on by Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the financial muscle behind the rival league, also was part of the meeting. The tour said it would share more details when appropriate, adding: “We are committed to moving as quickly as possible.” “We share a passion for the game and the importance of reunification,” the statement said. “Most importantly, we all want the best players in the world playing together more often and are committed to doing all we can to deliver that outcome for our fans.”

• Trump hails Saudi Arabia at investment event in Miami

  This was the first time a US president has spoken at the Miami event. Elon Musk, who co-heads Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency, was also there. As part of an increasingly high-profile relationship with the United States under President Trump, earlier this week Saudi Arabia hosted talks between the US and Russian foreign ministers aimed at paving the way for a resolution to the Ukraine war. In late January, during the first phone call Trump held with a foreign leader after returning to the White House, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, pledged $600 billion of trade and investment in the US over Trump’s four-year term.

• Saudi Arabia’s Shrewd Embrace of Ahmed Al Sharaa

  In late December, Al Sharaa sat down with the Saudi pan-Arab news channel Al Arabiya for his first television interview as Syria’s leader. Al Sharaa’s choice of venue did not go unnoticed on the Syrian street and around the region. In the interview, the new president echoed MBS’s view that the region should focus on economic cooperation and investment over armed conflicts, praised Saudi Arabia’s crucial role regionally and globally, and made a point to reminisce about his childhood in Riyadh and his wish to walk its streets again. On the Saudi side, this opening gambit of the new Syrian administration is a smart one for the Kingdom’s own interests. MBS has made clear his desire for more calm in the region, allowing him to focus Saudi Arabia’s resources on his domestic reform agenda and economic diversification campaign rather than regional problems. The fall of the Assad regime has benefited Riyadh in a second crucial way: it has meant the near-total destruction of Assad’s captagon trafficking ring, which had impacted Saudi Arabia more than any other country in the region. Ensuring Syria’s stability to prevent a vacuum that allows for the continuation of the drug trade is a core Saudi national interest.

• Saudi Arabia’s Shrewd Embrace of Ahmed Al Sharaa

  In late December, Al Sharaa sat down with the Saudi pan-Arab news channel Al Arabiya for his first television interview as Syria’s leader. Al Sharaa’s choice of venue did not go unnoticed on the Syrian street and around the region. In the interview, the new president echoed MBS’s view that the region should focus on economic cooperation and investment over armed conflicts, praised Saudi Arabia’s crucial role regionally and globally, and made a point to reminisce about his childhood in Riyadh and his wish to walk its streets again. On the Saudi side, this opening gambit of the new Syrian administration is a smart one for the Kingdom’s own interests. MBS has made clear his desire for more calm in the region, allowing him to focus Saudi Arabia’s resources on his domestic reform agenda and economic diversification campaign rather than regional problems. The fall of the Assad regime has benefited Riyadh in a second crucial way: it has meant the near-total destruction of Assad’s captagon trafficking ring, which had impacted Saudi Arabia more than any other country in the region. Ensuring Syria’s stability to prevent a vacuum that allows for the continuation of the drug trade is a core Saudi national interest.

• NDMC closes the February 2025 Issuance under the Saudi Arabian Government SAR-denominated Sukuk Program

  The National Debt Management Center announces the closure of February 2025 issuance under the Saudi Arabian Government SAR-denominated Sukuk Program. The Total Amount Allocated was set at SAR 3.071Bn (three billion and seventy-one million Saudi Riyals)

• HRSD Ministry says amendments to Labor Law take effect today

  The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) announced that amendments to the Labor Law will take effect from today, Feb. 19, aiming to enhance job stability and improve labor market efficiency to meet the needs of the private sector. The new amendments include changes to 38 articles of the law, the removal of seven articles, and the addition of two new articles. These changes intend to improve contractual relationships among labor market participants, safeguard their rights, and foster a more attractive and stable work environment in alignment with the labor market strategy.

• Trump’s message is clear: US free speech principles don’t apply to Palestine supporters

  Recent years have seen increasing efforts to go beyond the informal methods of suppressing pro-Palestinian perspectives such as often false accusations of anti-Semitism, ostracism, or negative professional consequences. States and state-run institutions have been increasingly attempting to legislate financial, professional, contractual and other penalties for criticism of Israel and its occupation that began in 1967. During last year’s election campaign, US President Donald Trump vowed to crush such views. He described student opposition to the Gaza war as part of a “radical revolution” that “has to be stopped now”, so “we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years”. This did not appear to phase the numerous Arab and Muslim Americans who voted for Mr Trump or, at least, helped him by staying home or supporting irrelevant candidates.

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