US President Donald Trump welcomes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to the White House on November 18, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The deal was supposed to reshape the Middle East.

Israel would normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, paving the way for ties with the wider Muslim world. In exchange, the Saudis would get a US security package that includes F-35 stealth fighter jets – fifth-generation aircraft that would cement Riyadh’s relationship with Washington as it opened a new chapter with Israel.

But, at least based on Trump’s public comments so far, only half of that package deal is likely to come to fruition. On Monday, President Donald Trump announced in the Oval Office that Saudi would be getting the fighter jets it has long coveted.

“We will be doing t

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