Pres. Trump: Most Israelis Trust You to Lead a Saudi Deal

The rumors are flying before President Trump even boards Air Force One for Saudi Arabia: Many think he’s sure to give up on a once-in-a-generation opportunity that rests in his hands. The doubters say he won’t try for a historic Saudi-Israel agreement because of Israeli government opposition.

But brand-new data suggests that he’s got something much better than the Israeli government behind him: he’s got the Israeli people, regardless of what any politicians may say. He still could be the one to deliver to Israelis and Palestinians something they’ve never had: true security, peace through strength, and self-determination in their homeland. 

According to our latest AI Pulse survey at the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), 66% — fully two-thirds — of Israeli Jews would either support or accept an agreement for “full diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, which includes recognizing a Palestinian state.”

And importantly, they trust President Trump more than anyone to get it done. When we asked Israelis to name any political leader anywhere whose endorsement would increase their support for such a deal, Israelis named Donald Trump three times more often than any other leader. 

Not Netanyahu or any Israeli politician. Trump.

This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s hard data. It reflects years of trust that Trump built with Israelis. From the Abraham Accords to the latest hostage/ceasefire deal, they see a president who gets big things done for them. They think he can change the paradigm once again. They believe he can deliver a deal with the kind of tangible security guarantees they need.

The trauma and insecurity following October 7th are monumental. But 19 months of brutal war, without any long-term strategy to replace Hamas, has not brought security. Israelis have seen Hamas degraded but not destroyed. They’ve seen it renew its ranks and reclaim territory.

On the other hand, Israelis have seen diplomacy deliver. 95% of the hostages who returned alive came home through deals. Peace with Jordan and Egypt has kept Israel’s longest borders quiet. And a broad coalition of Western and Arab nations helped repel two direct Iranian attacks. 

But time is not on our side, and Israelis know that, too.

They know Israel’s cabinet just voted to expand the war within days if there’s no diplomatic breakthrough. They know the hostages won’t survive. They know the current trajectory will not make them safer.

When we asked them about the consequences of pursuing annexation instead of regional normalization, Israelis predicted overwhelmingly negative results: more terror (60%), all-out war (61%), security deterioration (61%), and economic crisis (62%).

But bold leadership can choose otherwise, and it will have the backing of the people.

Normalization that resolves the most destabilizing conflict in the region could unlock untold prosperity. The Middle East could transform from the world’s least integrated region into a trade and tourism mega-zone.

We already started to see results from the Abraham Accords. In their first three years, they produced $10 billion in trade. A million Israeli tourists visited the UAE. An Indian firm invested in the Port of Haifa to create a vast economic corridor all the way from India to Europe.

Those gains hit a hard reality on October 7th. That was our wake-up call reminder that left unresolved, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the reason we can’t have these nice things. On that day, Hamas tried to derail an Israel-Saudi deal. Its deadly sabotage can’t be allowed to succeed. 

That’s why President Trump arriving in Riyadh with a strong vision of a grand deal can do more to defeat Hamas than the greatest military campaign. It could bring home the hostages and save countless civilian lives. It could change history for a region that’s known too much bloodshed and too many missed opportunities.

Some naysayers want the President to think that Israelis won’t accept this. But that’s true only of a shrinking minority. The numbers don’t lie.

In this post-October 7th world a region-wide architecture of security, prosperity, and peace has never been more needed or more possible. The Saudis are listening. Israelis are ready. And they’re depending on President Trump to make it happen.