It seems like a muddled agreement, at least at first glance.

On July 23, the United States announced that it would build a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia, causing consternation in Israel. The deal, which is to be submitted to the US Congress for review, was signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman, a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. The text has yet to be released.

CNN reports that Wright failed to tell President Donald Trump that he would be announcing the deal, thereby surprising and angering him. But a day before the announcement, The Wall Street Journal disclosed that an agreement was being finalized.

A day later, Trump retroactively added a key clause, saying in a social media post that the agreement was contingent on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel and joining the 2020 Abraham accords, which the Saudi government tacitly supported but declined to join.

By adding this important stipulation, Trump emulated his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose administration conditioned nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia on its recognition of Israel and its entry into the Abraham accords.

Buoyed by Trump’s abrupt announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed it as a “historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East.”

By contrast, Saudi Arabia –........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)