WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a statement on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden suggested that Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,400 casualties, was intended to disrupt any potential normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Biden made these remarks during a campaign fundraiser, where he implied that Saudi Arabia had shown interest in recognizing Israel.
While countries like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have already established relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, a regional power in the Middle East and home to important Islamic shrines, has not followed suit. Riyadh has stated that the goal of achieving Palestinian statehood should be addressed before considering any normalization with Israel.
Biden stated, “One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel…they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis. Guess what? The Saudis wanted to recognize Israel.”
During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Riyadh in June, the potential normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states was a top priority. However, Blinken acknowledged that immediate progress should not be expected. In an interview with CNN on October 8, Blinken mentioned that disrupting efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel together may have been a motivation for the attack.
When interviewed on CBS’ 60 Minutes, Biden emphasized that although the prospect of normalization is “still alive,” it will require time. In response to the October 7 attack, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, resulting in over 4,000 casualties. Israel’s objective is to both free hostages taken by Hamas militants and eliminate the group.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Kanishka Singh, and Costas Pitas; editing by Grant McCool and Lincoln Feast.)
