Joe Biden says Hamas attack was to prevent Saudi-Israel rapprochement
U.S. President Joe Biden speculates that the major Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October 7 was aimed at undermining efforts to bring Saudi Arabia closer to Israel and normalize relations between the two countries.
At a fundraising event for his election campaign held on Friday, Biden stated that one of the reasons Hamas attacked Israel was because they knew he had been negotiating with the Saudis, and the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel.
The normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries with Israel was a top priority during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the Middle East in June, although he mentioned that no progress in this regard is expected in the near future.