Why Donald Trump Deserves the Nobel Prize
Was Hamas’s October 7th attack a strategic move to derail the Abraham Accords?
Adam Starzynski
Oct 31, 2024 - 1:41 PM
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Why Hamas Targeted the Abraham Accords
In the aftermath of Hamas’s brutal October 7th assault on Israel, the world was left asking: why now? Why this moment, and why such savagery? The answer, however grim, may lie in geopolitics as much as ideology. Hamas struck not just to kill and terrorize, but to sabotage a budding peace. Their target was the Abraham Accords, the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East in a generation.
Hamas’s aim was clear: provoke a war, inflame Arab public opinion, and drive a wedge between Israel and its increasingly cooperative Arab neighbors. Above all, the attack was meant to derail the momentum toward a potential U.S.-brokered normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a deal would have transformed the region, signifying not just a thaw but a reimagining of Israel’s place in the Arab world. For Hamas, and their Iranian patrons, this was intolerable.
The Abraham Accords: A Regional Game-Changer
When the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, they shattered decades of conventional wisdom. For years, peace between Israel and the Arab world was thought to be impossible without first resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet here was something different: the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan normalizing ties with Israel, not in spite of Palestinian intransigence, but because regional interests demanded new alliances.
The architect of this diplomatic realignment was President Donald J. Trump. His administration boldly sidestepped entrenched diplomatic orthodoxy and forged agreements that prioritized economic growth, defense cooperation, and mutual deterrence, particularly against Iran. The results were tangible: embassies opened, flights launched, business partnerships formed. The idea that Israel could only exist in isolation had finally been proven false.
The accords redefined the Middle East not just politically, but psychologically. They showed that peace with Israel wasn’t a betrayal of Arab identity - it could be a pathway to prosperity. But for Hamas and Iran, this threatened their narrative and their power. A peaceful region that welcomes Israel into its fold undermines everything they stand for.
Iran’s Proxy Strikes Back
Hamas does not act in a vacuum. It is armed, funded, and politically backed by Iran, a regime that views the Abraham Accords as a direct threat to its regional ambitions. As Arab states grow closer to Israel, Iran finds itself increasingly isolated. Its vision of regional hegemony - built on resistance, militias, and chaos - can’t coexist with a Middle East driven by diplomacy and shared economic interests.
The looming Saudi-Israel normalization deal was, for Iran and Hamas, a red line. Saudi Arabia holds symbolic and strategic weight in the Muslim world. If Riyadh joined the Accords, the old anti-Israel consensus would be irreparably broken. October 7 was meant to prevent that - to flood Arab streets with images of Israeli military retaliation, to stoke outrage, and to make normalization politically toxic for Arab leaders.
In that sense, the assault wasn’t just terrorism but strategy. It was a desperate attempt to halt a peace process that had already rewritten the rules of the region.
A New Middle East
If Trump were to return to office, a renewed Abraham Accords push might emerge with even greater ambition. His foreign policy doctrine - shared burden, clear alliances, bold diplomacy - could once again shift the regional calculus. Iran’s nuclear ambitions and destabilizing actions would be confronted not by American troops alone, but by a coalition of willing partners, including Israel and its new Arab allies.
Saudi Arabia’s eventual participation would be a defining moment, a signal that a new era has arrived. Imagine Arab states openly embracing ties with Israel, unshackled from decades of fear, propaganda, and proxy pressure. The potential for a more secure, prosperous, and connected Middle East is not a fantasy but within reach.
But it will take courage to revive that momentum. It will take leadership willing to look beyond old grudges and imagine something bigger.
From Conflict to Cooperation
If the Abraham Accords are not only preserved but expanded, it will mark a historic turning point. A region once known for its entrenched enmities could become a model for reconciliation and strategic cooperation. The choice is stark: bullets or business, war or alliance, hate or hope.
And if that vision comes to pass, if Israel and its neighbors stand together in peace, then perhaps history will look back and say: Trump didn’t just break the mold. He helped make peace where others saw only conflict. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll have earned that Nobel Prize after all.
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Adam Starzynski
Journalist | Foreign Policy Analyst