Trump has also revoked sanctions imposed by Biden last year on violent Israeli settlers in West Bank. Among those sanctioned include 17 people and 16 entities. The move comes amid fresh violence by settlers in the Al Funduq village in West Bank.

President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday that if Hamas reneges on the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal, the United States will support Israel "in doing what it has to do.

Andrew Miller, a high-ranking State Department official under Biden, discusses the state of a fragile truce and Trump’s effect on the Middle East.

"Everyone recognizes that the Palestinian issue shouldn't be left behind," an expert told Newsweek. "So there must be progress on this."

For the Saudis, "a credible, time-bound, and non-reversible pathway towards the creation of a Palestinian state remains the minimal prerequisite for normalisation with Israel," said Firas Maksad, of the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

A comprehensive strategy aims to stabilize the Middle East through Saudi normalization, Palestinian separation, and a united front against Iran As Israel’s war in Gaza appears to be reaching an end, Israeli thinkers are hard at work developing a strategy to meet the new regional dynamics that have resulted from the war.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is ready to go, but requires following through on ending the war between Israel and Hamas in the

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE have expressed support for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of displaced Palestinians, and unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday that if Hamas reneges on the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal, the United States will support Israel "in doing what it has to do.

With a pending Gaza ceasefire and Donald Trump returning as US president, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader must now decide whether to recognise Israel before a Palestinian state is created.

Hamas remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza even after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, holding sway in displacement camps and refusing to surrender.