(Opinion) Let’s be clear: Hamas’ sudden assault on Israel has thrown a wrench into the gears of diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Just days ago, the world was watching Israel and Saudi Arabia inch closer to an agreement.
This U.S.-endorsed negotiation was showing promise, and President Biden saw it as a diplomatic notch on his belt before the upcoming elections.
Enter the rockets from Gaza.
Right on cue, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared Israel is “at war.” Weeks before, he’d hinted at a budding friendship with Saudi Arabia at the UN.
Now, that’s all up in the air. Talks will continue, but the atmosphere has changed.
Brian Katulis, a D.C.-based expert, points out that these attacks expose the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflicts that the 2020 Abraham Accords neatly sidestepped.
So, avoiding thorny issues just became a lot harder.
Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been playing both sides. He talks up progress with Israel but is equally loud about the Palestinian issue.
And following the Gaza attacks, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry blasted out its old familiar tune: warning of an “explosive situation” in Palestine.
Expert Aziz Alghashian explains that Saudi Arabia is back to its traditional caution.
Netanyahu’s “at war” announcement adds a fresh hurdle. We’re back to square one, or so it seems.
U.S. officials are tip-toeing around the situation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a chat with his Saudi counterpart.
They agreed on protecting civilians and respecting international law. But there’s a big elephant in the room: how will this flare-up impact peace talks?
Joost Hiltermann, an analyst, suggests Hamas might be acting out of fear. They’re worried about becoming irrelevant if Saudi Arabia gets cozy with Israel.
And Senator Lindsey Graham has his take: these attacks aim to sabotage the Israel-Saudi peace talks.
After all, such a deal would be a nightmare for Iran and Hamas.
So here we are. Diplomacy is messy, and recent events have made it even messier. One thing’s for sure: the path to peace just got more complicated.
In short, the delicate balance of peace wavers, and the world watches cautiously.