US President Joe Biden has suggested that one of the motivations behind Hamas’ attacks on Israel was to hinder Israel’s efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. These comments provide insight into the underlying causes of the crisis in the Middle East.
US President Joe Biden suggested, “One of the reasons why they acted like they did, why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis. Because the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and that would, in fact, unite the Middle East.”
During the Biden administration, the United States and Saudi Arabia were engaged in discussions to establish a framework for the Saudi kingdom to recognize Israel, with the understanding that this recognition would be reciprocated by U.S. security guarantees. Although administration officials were cautious in their public statements and downplayed the possibility of a breakthrough as the negotiations progressed, President Biden showed a strong interest in advancing this initiative. In July, he dispatched National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia, underscoring the importance of these talks.
Israel has successfully entered into diplomatic agreements with several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, starting from 2020. However, achieving normalization with Saudi Arabia, which boasts the largest economy in the Middle East, would represent a significant diplomatic achievement for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the state of Israel.
Hamas is indeed designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.