President Joe Biden has stated that Hamas' recent attack on Israel was aimed at disrupting the potential normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, which has not followed its Gulf neighbors in establishing relations with Israel, has stated that Palestinian statehood goals should be addressed first. Biden had plans to sit down with the Saudis, making the potential normalization of relations a top priority for Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his trip to Riyadh.