His words were part of a series of statements the Biden administration has made about its intention to pursue a peace process once a ceasefire is in place.
Tzachi Hanegbi, head of the National Security Council of Israel, spoke in depth about the October 7th attacks and Israel’s plans for a post-war, post-Hamas Gaza Strip in a Saudi newspaper interview.
One of them is the plan to derail Israel-Saudi normalization.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have many shared interests, chief among them the struggle against radical Islam propagated by groups such as ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood.
"The president was far away. He didn't hear the full question," a spokesperson said.
"One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel ... they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis," Biden said at a campaign fundraiser.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also spoke with Iran’s president this week, signaling a retreat from the Biden administration’s efforts to isolate Iran.
Several Americans were killed by Hamas attackers, a White House National Security Council spokesperson confirmed, saying the US would continue to monitor the situation closely.
"It wouldn't be a surprise" if the attack was in part meant to sabotage a Saudi deal, said Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State.
Prime Minister Netanyahu played down the importance of the Palestinian issue for the Saudis, as have other senior Israeli officials.
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