One of the goals of Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel is to disrupt efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state, President Biden said Friday.
“One of the reasons why they acted the way they did, why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was going to sit down with Saudi Arabia,” Biden, 80, said at a campaign fundraiser in Washington.
“Because the Saudis want to recognize Israel and that will actually unite the Middle East,” he added.
Since 2020, Israel has achieved diplomatic success with several Muslim-majority countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, but Saudi Arabia has yet to recognize Israel’s sovereignty.
The unprecedented October 7 Hamas attack, which killed more than 1,000 people in southern Israel, came amid recent talks aimed at thawing ties between Jerusalem and Riyadh as part of a tripartite deal with the US.
A Hamas terrorist used a paraglider during the unprecedented October 7 raid, which killed more than 1,000 people in southern Israel. Hamas
The agreement that has been formed aims to increase the stability of the Middle East, reject the nuclear threat of Iran – Iran is a fierce rival of Saudi Arabia – and increase economic cooperation.
Amid the talks, Iran’s supreme authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any country that tries to normalize relations with Israel “will suffer a loss.”
Diplomatic talks related to a possible Saudi-Israeli deal have stalled since the Oct. 7 attack, according to Bloomberg.
Israel has reached several diplomatic agreements with Muslim-majority countries since 2020, including recent negotiations aimed at thawing ties between Jerusalem and Riyadh as part of a trilateral agreement with the US. AP
Biden’s comments came the same day the White House asked Congress to authorize about $14 billion to support Israel’s air and missile defense systems and for the purchase of other weapons in its war against Hamas.
The money is part of a broader $106 billion funding request for Ukraine, humanitarian aid in Gaza and Israel, US border security and measures to counter China.
Also on Friday, Biden appeared to answer, “yes,” when asked by a reporter whether Israel should delay a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in an effort to free more hostages held by Hamas terrorists.
Israeli artillery fire from the border as Israel appears to be preparing for a ground attack on the Gaza Strip.Getty Images
However, a White House spokesman said the president “did not hear the full question.”
“The question sounded like ‘Do you want to see more hostages released?’ He has no further comment,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said, according to Reuters.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
