Hormoz Jafari, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, referred to the opinion of some international media in this regard that the unprecedented attack of Hamas on the Zionist regime was carried out to complicate the historical process of normalization between the Israeli regime and Saudi Arabia which is ongoing in the region, clarified: Normalization of relations of the Israeli regime with the countries of the region, especially the Arabs and Muslims, has generally been on the agenda of the US foreign policy apparatus, and some governments have focused less and some more on it. Within the framework of the Congress, a structure has been considered for that, and a commission has been formed under the name of the Abraham Accords, which will follow up on the implementation and expansion of this agreement, which was finalized in the Trump administration.

He added: During Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, although the media focused more on efforts to increase oil production, one of the main issues, which was raised in the final statement and published on the website of the US State Department, was the issue of normalization of relations between the Zionist regime and Saudi Arabia and challenges related to Palestine which were not paid much attention in the media. Therefore, this issue is always on the agenda of the United States.

The head of the International Affairs of Sharif University Science and Technology Park, stating that Riyadh, in the new era, is following pragmatic policies compared to the past and is breaking many taboos, noted Saudi Arabia has clearly stated many times that normalization agreement entails a broad benefit for Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to them, for the region and thus welcomes it. Even Mohammed bin Salman called Israel a potential ally that could become a reality.

Reminding that Riyadh officially emphasizes the two-state plan that was approved in 2002 within the framework of the Arab League, but now we see a different view of that plan, Jafari continued: The Palestinian issue is important for the King, and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is the son of someone who was a historical supporter of Palestine, and this is not a trivial issue. Considering the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Palestine, normalizing relations with the Zionist regime will be suspended and seriously challenged. In its statement about the conflict between Hamas and the Israeli regime, Riyadh used the concepts of “occupation” and “oppression,” which had been less used for a long time.

He called the duration of this conflict, the number of casualties, and its consequences very important. He added that normalization will face a significant challenge if the war is prolonged and expanded. But this war showed the argument that if there is peace and stability in the region, the Palestinian issue must be solved fairly, stronger than in the past.

Saying that the Israeli regime has declared the situation as war and is preparing to enter Gaza, Jafari continued: In this situation, with the increase of conflicts and human casualties, taking into account the sensitivity of public opinion, in the short term, less government in the region will dare to raise the issue of normalization.

The expert on international affairs pointed out that with the occurrence of the war, Saudi Arabia’s position regarding the necessity of forming two governments in the occupied territories will receive more attention. This war strengthened the position of Saudi Arabia, and now the American and Israeli sides need Saudi Arabia more.

The head of the International Affairs of Sharif University Science and Technology Park, while explaining the different conditions of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime, continued: In any case, even if this war did not happen, Riyadh would not simply lose the Palestine playing card because it does not want to announce the normalization of relations with the Israeli regime suddenly, and considering the existing obstacles, it will take a step-by-step strategy to break this taboo gradually.

Stating that in the current situation, entering into normalization discussion has very high costs for Saudi Arabia, he added: However, in the current situation, the greater the depth of the war disaster, the higher the costs for normalizing relations with the Zionist regime. Of course, considering the heavy losses the Israeli regime has had, it does not seem that this war will end quickly.