Israeli concerns grow: Trump reportedly plans to meet Palestinian, Syrian & Lebanese presidents in Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Middle East – his first major visit abroad since taking office – has already sparked speculation about strained relations after it was revealed he would skip Israel in favor of stops in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In recent days, a flurry of reports has heightened Israeli concerns, as Trump is now set to meet with nearly all regional leaders – except those of Israel.

On Sunday, Arab news outlets reported that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will all join Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

However, both PA and Israeli sources denied that plans for a meeting had been finalized.

For Israel, the most worrying aspect is Trump's potential meeting with Abbas, despite official denials that the U.S. president plans to announce support for a Palestinian state.

“Bin Salman wants to make it clear to the President of the U.S. that they are not bypassing the PA, as Israel is trying to do,” wrote Anna Rayva-Barsky, chief political correspondent of the Israeli newspaper, Maariv.

According to a Kan News report, citing a source in the Saudi royal family, the kingdom plans to present an outline for a broad agreement to end the Palestinian issue – one that includes establishing a Palestinian state, ending the war in Gaza, and normalizing ties between Israel and Arab states.

“The Saudi demand to include the chairman of the PA in the expanded meeting with President Trump is not only a single message of the Crown Prince to his public, inward. It is also not only his message to the Arab world. This is a result of the political-security dynamic in the region, and this dynamic is bad for us,” Rayva-Barsky explained.

The Saudi source told Kan that the kingdom is optimistic Trump can be convinced to support the plan, adding that while some elements are open to negotiation, the establishment of a Palestinian state and an end to the war in Gaza are non-negotiable.

Whatever will happen during the meetings in Saudi Arabia, wrote Ravya-Barsky, the fact that Trump will meet Abbas but not Netanyahu is already sending a strong message.

“The message is that the United States is leaving Israel behind to deal with its problems and enemies alone. The U.S. is no longer Israel's ‘Iron Dome,’ and this is the reality on the ground, no matter who or what declares and claims.”

Few details have emerged about the possible content of talks between Trump and Aoun, however, Lebanon has been pushing the U.S. to pressure Israel to complete its withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Regarding Syria, Reuters reported that President Sharaa plans to pitch a strategic plan to Trump, which would include a potential agreement with Israel and U.S. access to Syria’s oil and gas reserves.

“He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbours. What he told me is good for the region, good for Israel,” said Jonathan Bass, an American pro-Trump activist who met Sharaa in Damascus two weeks ago.

Following a phone call between the Saudi Crown Prince and Sharaa on Sunday, a confidante of Sharaa told Reuters that a meeting with Trump was possible, though they would not confirm whether an invitation had been received.