President Joe Biden said on Friday that he believes Hamas attacked Israel in order to prevent the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
During a fundraising event, Biden stated, “One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel… they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis.” He suggested that Hamas militants launched an assault on October 7th because the Saudis were on the verge of recognizing Israel.
Israel and Saudi Arabia had been making progress towards normalization, with Biden’s assistance. In September, at the Group of 20 summit in India, Biden announced plans for the two countries to partner on a shipping corridor.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Biden at the U.N. General Assembly in September and expressed his belief that a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia could be forged under Biden’s leadership.
The Saudis insisted on ensuring protections and expanded rights for Palestinian interests as part of any broader agreement with Israel. Such an agreement would have been a significant diplomatic achievement and could have led to broader recognition of Israel by other Arab and Muslim-majority nations that have historically opposed Israel.
However, talks were disrupted when Hamas militants invaded Israeli towns from the blockaded Gaza Strip where Palestinians live.
The October 7th attack coincided with a major Jewish holiday and resulted in retaliatory airstrikes by Israel. The situation has caused global concern, with the U.S. working to prevent the conflict from escalating further. So far, 1,400 Israelis and 4,137 Palestinians have been killed. Additionally, Hamas captured over 200 people as hostages following the initial assault.
