Prince Turki's letter to Trump should restart the conversation about the Middle East's future

Conflict in the Middle East has expanded in recent months to Lebanon. Lebanese Ministry of Public Health

On November 8, days after Donald Trump won re-election, Prince Turki Al Faisal wrote the US president-elect an open letter in The National. I did not agree with every word of it, but – as a former White House envoy to the Middle East in Mr Trump’s first administration, and a proud supporter of Israel and Saudi Arabia who wants nothing more than peace and prosperity in that region – I have been recommending it to everyone I speak to.

I want to explain why I think this letter is so important.

The crux of Prince Turki’s letter is that he is glad Mr Trump was re-elected because the world needs him. The Middle East, especially, needs him, and Prince Turki believes that Mr Trump and America can be forces for good. Things have gone very sour in the region since the president-elect left office nearly four years ago, and all peace-loving people would benefit if he picked up where he left off.

As Prince Turki implores Mr Trump, “work with your friends in Saudi Arabia and other friends you have in the area, to pursue what you started before: to bring PEACE, with capital letters, to the Middle East”. I could not put the mission any better than that. One reason to read and internalise the letter is to fill us with a sense of purpose as we approach what might be an inflection point in the region. But there is more.

Though I have never met Prince Turki, I am confident he and I do not see eye to eye on many things. There are many details about Israel, its ongoing conflict with Palestinians, and its wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, on which I am sure we disagree.

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Difference in opinion is a challenge, not a death knell. And no one thinks solving the most persistent geopolitical problem in recent history is without its very significant challenges

Another example is the Prince writing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want peace. I don’t see things that way. From spending countless hours working with him, I think Mr Netanyahu does want peace, but surely not on the same terms as Prince Turki believes are fair and appropriate, and certainly not anywhere close to what the Palestinian leadership demands. There are many details, large and small, to work out there, if it can be worked out at all.

Yet despite those disagreements, I found his letter – the fact that he would even write such a letter – very important. The timing is noteworthy. The letter came just a few days before the extremely harsh speeches and accusations that were made against Israel at the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit held in Riyadh. In contrast to what was said at the Summit, Prince Turki’s letter is reassuring. It reinforces my belief that we need not put all our differences aside to engage with one another and achieve the major goals we have in common. We can, and do, disagree about whether certain leaders are posing obstacles to the process, but we must still be open to engaging those with whom we disagree. The letter is a strong signal at a very complex and challenging time.

I have visited the kingdom many times since my first visit with Mr Trump in May of 2017. I have also spent significant hours with the Saudi leadership and know they are for real. They are serious about laying the groundwork for a future that so many people in the Middle East thirst for and deserve. They are serious about moving the Middle East in the right direction. That tells me that the Abraham Accords and the broader warming between the US, Israel and the Arab states was not a fluke – it was the beginning of a true and durable alliance. This is true even if Saudi Arabia has not signed the Abraham Accords, and even though we don’t know if or when the kingdom might do so, or perhaps sign their own version of the Accords.

At a recent summit in Riyadh, Arab and Islamic leaders stood united in their unwavering support for a Palestinian state. AFP

Fostering a path towards a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and driving extremism out of the Middle East will require widespread co-operation, with more nations buying into the path that Mr Trump set during his first term.

I do agree with Prince Turki that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are important leaders whose moment has arrived to figure out how to achieve a peace that works for all. I spent significant time with Prince Mohammed when I was in the White House. He has strong credibility, deep intelligence and passion, and is a major geopolitical player. I say that even though the Crown Prince’s analysis of Israel and its role in the conflict differs, in numerous material ways, from mine.

Difference in opinion is a challenge, not a death knell. And no one thinks solving the most persistent geopolitical problem in recent history is without its very significant challenges.

The way we work through or around those challenges is with frank discussion and honesty. There is no doubt that the world has lurched backwards in far too many ways over the past few years, especially in the Middle East. But we cannot become fixated on that regression. We must, as friends, move forward. So, I am grateful that Prince Turki is trying to restart the conversation. There’s a lot to discuss, and even more to do.

I, for one, join the Prince in welcoming the second Trump administration with hope and a prayer for peace.

May God help our leaders be courageous, honest and bold. May God spread His peace over the people of the Middle East, and the whole world.

Read Prince Turki bin Faisal's letter to Donald Trump here.