A narrative has taken hold in parts of the U.S. media in recent weeks suggesting that Saudi Arabia is becoming a less worthwhile American ally. The argument is driven by two factors: first, that Riyadh has delayed normalization with Israel after the war in Gaza; second, that it has deep policy differences with Israel’s newest favorite in the region, the United Arab Emirates, over Yemen. From these premises, critics draw a sweeping but deeply flawed conclusion: that Saudi Arabia is drifting away