Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday during his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump that Riyadh wants to join the Abraham Accords, but calls for the need to secure a path towards a two-state solution.

“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that [we] secure a clear path [toward a] two-state solution,” Bin Salman said in response to a question on the matter from reporters in the Oval Office, while sitting alongside Trump.

Bin Salman added that he and Trump had a “healthy discussion” on the issue shortly before appearing before reporters.

“We’re going to work on that to be sure that we can prepare [for] the right situation as soon as possible,” Bin Salman says, referring to a pathway to a two-state solution.

Trump interjected, saying, “I don’t want to use the word commitment, but we’ve had a very good talk on the Abraham Accords. We talked about one state and two-state [solution].” The president adds that the pair will be discussing the matter further as well, insisting that Bin Salman has “a very good feeling toward the Abraham Accords.”

“We want peace for the Israelis, we want peace for the Palestinians. We want them to coexist peacefully in the region,” Bin Salman said, avoiding an announcement or commitment on the issue.

The remarks were not particularly surprising, given that Saudi Arabia has long told interlocutors that it will not normalize relations with Israel absent a credible, time-bound and irreversible pathway. However, there had been some speculation that progress could be made on the issue, given that another key Saudi condition for a deal appeared to have been met when Trump succeeded in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza last month.

Bin Salman is said to have told confidants that the restoration of calm in Gaza would also be needed for him to move forward with Israel, as the war has significantly soured the Saudi population’s view of Israel, leading him to feel a need to raise the significance of the Palestinian-related component of a potential normalization deal.

But if the willingness of Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition to offer the Palestinians a political horizon was limited before Hamas’s October 7 attack, that inclination has shrunk even further since.

Just in the past week, Netanyahu and other members of his government have reiterated that they will not allow for the establishment of a Palestinian state under any circumstances.

Netanyahu’s inner circle — as well as Trump himself — have long downplayed Riyadh’s two-state demand, thinking it can be addressed through more symbolic or rhetorical measures.

Bin Salman told reporters in the Oval Office that Riyadh will “definitely help” foot the bill for the reconstruction of Gaza, highlighting his willingness to remain engaged on the Palestinian issue, regardless of whether his country immediately joins the Abraham Accords.

The crown prince acknowledged that an exact figure for Saudi aid to Gaza hasn’t been decided yet, leading Trump to chime in and say, “It’ll be a lot.”

In a separate remark during the Oval Office question and answer session, Trump says, “The Palestinians are doing very well… We’re working very closely with a lot of people that make everybody happy, including Israel, the Palestinians and everybody.”

Israel reportedly sought to urge the US to condition the latter’s sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia on Riyadh agreeing to join the Abraham Accords.

But Trump is moving forward with the sale and appeared to dismiss concerns that it could harm Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region, which Congress is legally required to preserve.

Asked about the matter in the Oval Office, Trump said the weapons he plans to sell to Saudi Arabia will be “pretty similar” to those Washington provides to Israel.

“I know [Israel would] like you to get planes of reduced caliber. I don’t think that makes you too happy,” Trump quipped to Bin Salman.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think [Saudi Arabia and Israel] are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” Trump continued. “We’re going to have a deal. They’re going to purchase F-35s.”