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Hamas Wanted to Torpedo Israel-Saudi Deal with Oct. 7 Attacks, Documents Reveal
(Wall Street Journal) Marcus Walker - On Oct. 2, 2023, days before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's Gaza chief, said at a high-level meeting that an "extraordinary act" was required to derail the normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to minutes of the meeting discovered in a tunnel by the IDF. Sinwar said, "There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalization agreement is progressing significantly" and warned that a deal would "open the door for the majority of Arab and Islamic countries to follow the same path." For Sinwar and Hamas, who have called for total destruction of Israel, this was unacceptable. He expected to get help from the other Iranian-backed forces of the "axis of resistance" to Israel. The Journal has reported on another meeting on Oct. 2 in Beirut involving representatives of Hamas and Iranian security officials, where Iran approved the planned attack. Senior officials from Iran and Hizbullah had been discussing attack options with Hamas since the summer of 2021. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told foreign visitors in the past year that he can't proceed with normalization unless Israel agrees to a diplomatic process that would eventually lead to a Palestinian state. But the Oct. 7 attack hardened attitudes in Israel, potentially for years to come. Palestinian statehood has become anathema for most of the Israeli political spectrum.