President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman are pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from “expanding” into a broader conflict in the Middle East, the White House said.
Biden spoke Tuesday with Crown Prince Mohammed about the situation in the region, according to a readout of the two leaders’ call, and “agreed on pursuing broader diplomatic efforts to maintain stability across the region and prevent the conflict from expanding.”
The pair agreed to “remain in close coordination” as the situation unfolds.
The militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, launched a deadly attack on Israel earlier this month, and Israel responded with strikes against Gaza. The death toll is said to have surpassed 5,000 in Gaza and reached 1,400 in Israel, according to figures shared by the United Nations.
Biden’s call with the controversial Saudi crown prince appears as part of an effort to stem a broader conflict and prevent more unrest in the Middle East.
Along the campaign trail, Biden had called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” after the 2018 murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which a U.S. intelligence assessment found had been approved by Crown Prince Mohammed.
The president’s first meeting with the Saudi crown prince in Jeddah sparked controversy last year when Biden greeted him with a fist bump amid concerns about human rights issues. This September, the president met Crown Prince Mohammed with a handshake amid the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi.
Biden suggested Friday that the Hamas attack on Israel was related to a normalization push and increased diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
“One of the reasons … why Hamas moved on Israel, is because they knew I was about to sit down with the Saudis,” Biden said during remarks at a campaign fundraiser. “Guess what? The Saudis wanted to recognize Israel.”
On their Tuesday call, Biden and the crown prince “affirmed the importance of working toward a sustainable peace” between Israel and Palestine “as soon as this crisis subsides.”
The two leaders also welcomed the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza from Egypt as well as efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, according to the readout. They acknowledged that much more is needed to help civilians in the area.