Question: Russia Today website cited on 26/5/2017 from Reuters that the US Senate wants to vote on the rejection of Trump's $460 billion deal with Saudi Arabia: "Members of the US Senate have presented a proposal to reject the arms deal that President Donald Trump signed with Saudi Arabia, in order to force the Council to vote on it.” (Russia Today, 26/5/2017, quoting Reuters). How is this so? Since a deal like this is a dream for America, especially since the US economy is in crisis. So what is the reason for the Congress’ refusal? By the way, Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia had a wide resonance, he met with the Gulf States and a host of presidents, and then he went to occupied Palestine. Does this mean that he carries a political project on the question of Palestine? May Allah (swt) bless you.

Answer: The Congressional proposal is in the framework of political rivalry, and most likely it will not affect the issue of the deal, but it may improve it! The deal revives the US economy by activating factories and opening up a wide range of jobs. America, with all its parties, aspires to do so, and until the picture of the Congress's rejection becomes clear, or the attempt of Congress’s rejection, we will review the following:

1- US President Trump arrived in Riyadh, the capital of the Al-Saud on 20/5/2017 amidst a large scale media promotion in America itself and in Arabic-speaking channels, which described the visit as conciliatory with the Muslim world, and that his meetings with the Saudis bore a great warmth that was missing from his predecessor Barack Obama, words of admiration and praise of Saudi Arabia and its king and leaders, was never heard from any former American president, and he began his visit with a summit with the King of Saudi Arabia Salman, and the next day 21/5/2017 he held another summit with the kings and Emirs of the six Gulf States, and on the same day he held a summit with leaders of 55 Islamic countries, which was more like a lecture by Trump to them, in addition to holding some bilateral meetings between him and some of the leaders of these countries ... It was agreed to establish a global center to counter extremist thought and its center in Riyadh under the close partnership article between these countries and the United States to confront (extremism and terrorism) which is contained in the final communiqué of the Summit Called "Riyadh Declaration". Saudi Arabia is therefore spending money to fight what the West calls "terrorism" and what Trump calls today "radical Islamic terrorism." The Riyadh Declaration also included a declaration of intent to establish (the Strategic Middle East Alliance in Riyadh). The declaration state: (a number of States will participate in it to contribute to the achievement of peace and security in the region and the world), and also stated that (the completion of the establishment and participation will be in 2018)

2- Despite these meetings, and the importance of this center and the alliance, the real aim for Trump was the economic deal with Saudi Arabia, because the US economy is at stake after a series of crises and shocks, despite being the first in the world and the treatment of the astronomical debts and the pushing the economic growth became a vital issue to America especially with the continued rise of the Chinese economy. Economic issues have become a top priority for American presidents, and a motivation growing more rapidly than ever before in their foreign economic policies in particular. US President Trump won the presidential election in late 2016 with majority of slogan on the economy related to the provision of jobs for Americans and the revival of the American economy again by making American companies return to America, and by making the world pay "royalties" for the US protection of these countries. What encouraged the Republican Party to accept his candidacy for the presidency is that he is a lucrative capitalist in profitable deals, he is the man of commercial deals. When he implemented his policies, he demanded from Germany during Merkel's visit to Washington 17/3/2017 to pay billions of dollars even retroactively for the American protection of Germany after World War II, and demanded South Korea on 28/4/2017 to pay one billion dollars for the installation of American missiles "Thad", anti-missiles, there. The missiles that the US military set up after North Korea's missile tests and the ensuing tension ... Germany vehemently refused to be financially in debt to America for the US military presence in it, and South Korea refused to bear the price of setting up the US Thad missiles . The American approach to international financial "royalties" has failed in many parts of the world, but it has been very successful in Saudi Arabia, followed by the Gulf states, and this has shown in the astronomical deals signed by Trump with Saudi Arabia.

The beginning of the success of America's policy towards "royalties" has emerged in Saudi Arabia, America has signed the largest arms deals in history, Al Jazeera Net Mubashir reported on 20/5/2017: (Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and US President Donald Trump signed on Saturday a number of co-operation agreements in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The White House announced the signing of the military co-operation agreements with Riyadh in the amount of 460 billion dollars The Saudi minister of trade Majid Al-Qasabi said that his country granted licenses to invest in Saudi Arabia to 23 of the largest American companies. Al-Jazeera’s reporter in Riyadh said that Saudi Arabia and the United States signed defense agreements worth $ 460 billion, of which $ 110 billion worth of previous military deals, under which Washington will hand over weapons immediately to the Saudi side, plus defense cooperation deals worth $ 350 billion over a decade).

As a result of the huge deals, the indexes in the major US stock markets have rocketed: Dow Jones, Standard & Poor's and Nasdaq, because of Saudi Arabia's large sums given for the US economy and jobs created for Americans as Trump promised during his election campaign. In view of these deals, we find that Saudi Arabia pumps to the American arms factories a large proportion of the states’ revenues each year and over ten years, (and the actual revenues of Saudi Arabia in 2016, were 528 billion riyals - about 140 billion dollars ...), (Al-Arabiya net on 22/12/2016) and thus Trump’s administration have found their answer to the financial problem with Al Saud!

3- The proposal of the Congress is a form of political rivalry and most likely it will not affect the deal, but may improve it! The deal revives the US economy by activating factories and opening up a wide range of jobs opportunity. America, with all its parties, aspires to this. But the issue, as we have said, is a matter of political protest. Trump wanted to cover up the many scandals related to his contacts with Russia and the issues raised on his son-in-law and his associates, with a great economic achievement with such deals and large political actions gathering the masses of the rulers of those countries, and so it was!

The vast media coverage in the United States of Trump's visit and meetings, and the great arms deals he has signed in Saudi Arabia, and the scenes of Muslim presidents and kings coming from every corner to attend Trump's speech and perform obedience rituals to America, ease things for President Trump and his administration, at least for sometime from the effects of these scandals, and he will be associated with achievement and success, not just leaks, scandals and weak political performance. This is an aspect of great importance to him in the current situation. Thus the urgent arrangement of a large crowd of Muslim presidents and kings to meet with the American president is clear. And for the first of this magnitude: Saudi Arabia is making clear efforts for the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and the leaders of around 55 countries invited to Riyadh, where the visit of US President Trump to Saudi Arabia is at the centre of a large media attention, while observers believe that Saudi Arabia succeeded in attracting the world's attention to this visit, by the gathering of Arab and Muslim leaders and rulers in a meeting is the first of its kind ... (Deutsche Welle site on 19/5/2017) and then the political rivalry of some members of Congress followed, especially the Democrats.

4- As for the Gulf rulers, America want to contain them, despite its knowledge of their loyalty to the English, and that is by linking them to American arms deals, and more US intervention in these countries under the pretext of the Iranian threat. Trump mentioned in his speech: “Qatar, which hosts the US Central Command, is a strategic crucial partner. Our continued long-term partnership with Kuwait and Bahrain will enhance security in the region ... the United Arab Emirates participated in the battle for hearts and minds, and launched with the US a center to counter the spread of hate on the Internet. Bahrain also works to undermine recruitment and extremism.” (CNN/Arabic 21/05/2017)

US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Qatar discussed a new US arms deal. According to the Associated Press, "The US president said he and the Emir of Qatar have discussed buying "a lot of beautiful military equipment", according to Trump. Trump and Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, met this morning in Riyadh in bilateral talks on the sidelines of the American Islamic Summit and the US president said that "no one makes better weapons than America" and pointed out that the deal "will provide jobs for the United States and increases Qatar’s security force..." (Dot Masr 21/5/2017)

America's policy in reducing the Iranian threat to the countries of the region is by letting its rulers hear comforting words against Iran and trap these countries in America's ropes through arms deals, military bases and facilities, all with Gulf funding, without America having to take a real step against Iran. This because America still relies on Iran to crush the revolution in Syria, and continues to rely on it as in the era of Obama to arm the Houthis in Yemen, and not to undermine its influence in Iraq and Lebanon. In his speech in Riyadh, President Trump mentioned the Lebanese Hezbollah as a terrorist group, and then praised the Lebanese army, which provides the full cover to Hezbollah's intervention in Syria, and fights with it against the Syrian revolutionaries in Jarod and Arsal!

These rulers, like the rulers of Saudi Arabia, are not sure that America will direct Iran to shake their thrones, so they are obedient to the wishes of America, especially if they hear from it a word against Iran and its danger, even if not accompanied by action. Trump mentioned in his speech: "From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran is financing, arming and training terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos in the region. For decades, Iran has fueled fires of sectarian strife and terrorism, it is a government that openly speaks of mass murder, and vows with the destruction of (Israel) and death to America, and the destruction of many of the leaders and nations in this hall. Among the most destabilizing interventions, is Iran's intervention in Syria, Assad committed, with the support of Iran, crimes that are indescribable...” (CNN, 21/5/2017). As if America did not order Iran to do this, as if the rulers of the Gulf do not know it, and he called for the isolation of Iran, but any step on the part of America to put pressure on Iran has not been taken. America still adheres to the nuclear agreement with Iran despite Trump’s screaming against it during his election campaign... All this is to put fear in the Gulf countries from the Iranian monster, to exploit this to trap them in America's arms deals, Military bases, and facilities, all funded by the Gulf as mentioned above.

5- As for the issue of a political project with the entity of Jews, and Trump’s visit on 22/5/2017 to occupied Palestine after Saudi Arabia. And the question whether Trump carries a project for the political solution. The answer to this is that the Palestinian issue is not urgent today for America, given the priorities of the US administration ... We have already issued an “Answer  to a Question” on 12/5/2017, where we said: “In light of the eruption of the Arab region, especially in Syria, and the growing tension between America and North Korea, the Palestinian issue is no longer a pressing issue of priority for the current American administration. Therefore, America is not in a hurry for this issue... It is exploring the prospects for solutions to the Palestinian issue, and considering the possibility of opening negotiations between the Arabs, especially the Palestinians and the Jewish entity, and sees what will be the outcome, and what confirms this is what was quoted by BBC 11/3/2017: “Reuters cited the spokesman for Palestinian President Nabil Abu Rudeina saying that Trump told Abbas that he wanted to discuss how to return to negotiations and stressed his "commitment to a peaceful process leading to real peace". He said in a joint press conference with Abbas in the White House:  "I will do whatever is necessary ... I would like to act as an intermediary, a guide or a judge between the two sides and we will accomplish this." (Russia Today, 4/5/2017)