Via Andrew England in ft.com: After Trump named a number of ardently pro-Israeli nominees and Iran hawks for key positions, Arab officials worry his incoming administration might approve any moves by Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, occupy Gaza or escalate tensions with Tehran. But they hope Riyadh can temper the incoming administration’s policies in the region by leveraging Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s relationship with Trump, the president-elect’s appetite for financial deals and his expected desire to strike a “grand bargain” that would lead Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise relations. “The key player in the region is Saudi Arabia because of their known relations with him, so it will be the linchpin of any regional actions the US might decide to do,” said an Arab diplomat.
