US President Biden will travel to the Middle East next week to meet with the Saudi royal family. It is accompanied by numerous criticisms and a number of difficult issues.
The street in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington recently had a new name: it is now called “Jamal Khashoggi Road”, and it was no accident that the US capital administration placed the new street sign directly in front of the diplomatic mission.
Biden meets with Crown Prince Bin Salman
Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in the fall of 2018. US secret services believe Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the murder. The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia – also known by the acronym MbS – is one of the respected people Joe Biden will meet on his first visit to the Middle East as President of the United States.
Biden is expected to meet with Interim Prime Minister Jair Lapid in Israel on Wednesday. A meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is planned in the West Bank. Biden then flies to Saudi Arabia, where he plans to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Jeddah.
He will also meet with the “leadership team”, which includes King Salman and the crown prince, according to the White House. The Saudi Embassy in Washington announced “official talks” between MbS and Biden.
Biden’s visit criticized
Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who is a columnist for the Washington Post, has now turned to Biden in the same newspaper. “At a time when attacks on press freedom are at an all-time high, your visit will tarnish your reputation and send a message to autocrats around the world that they can imprison, torture and even assassinate journalists without revenge,” said the guest. Message.
There wasn’t much in the election campaign that Biden was reminded more often than this time before his trip: “We’re actually going to make them pay the price and turn them into foreigners,” he had promised as a candidate in November 2019. In connection with the murder of Khashoggi, meaning the Saudi leadership.
USA: Prioritize peace
Speaking to CNN ahead of his Middle East tour, a US government official, referring to the Saudis and the murder, said: “Both sides have come to the conclusion that in the interests of peace and stability in the Middle East, we must put this behind us.”
Biden has always portrayed himself as a staunch supporter of human rights. Before his trip, the US Democrat stressed that he would not change his mind on human rights. But:
The visit is not only about the many conflicts in the Middle East, but also about the energy crisis aggravated by the Ukraine war and a common enemy. A selection of highlights:
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No real progress can be expected in the idle peace process. Both sides lowered expectations ahead of the Biden visit. Especially at the beginning of his tenure, Biden was accused by Republicans of not supporting Israel. The close ally in the Middle East was only marginally mentioned in the US Democrats’ campaign program.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, has never made it a secret that he sided with the Israelis in the conflict. The Republican failed in his plan to create peace in the Middle East. Palestinians rejected the Trump administration’s plan, which disqualified him as a mediator.
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States that are actually enemies do not maintain any official relations. Israel hopes for normalization of relations. As part of the so-called Abraham Accords, several Arab states had signed deals with Israel through Trump’s mediation. Saudi Arabia’s involvement is currently considered unlikely.
But news site Axios reported that the White House is working on a “roadmap to normalize” relations. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, secret talks are already underway about more cooperation on economic and security issues, for example. Accordingly, the kingdom may free its airspace for commercial Israeli aircraft.
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Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states share concerns about the threat posed by Iran. Biden has so far failed to revive Trump’s nuclear deal with Tehran, which both Israel and Saudi Arabia have rejected. “Israel is waiting for a plan B that will go into effect if the nuclear talks eventually fail,” says Yoel Guzansky of the Israel Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia. In the Gulf, where many US troops are stationed, they also look to Washington for possible security guarantees in the conflict with Tehran.
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Due to the growing threat posed by Iran, the United States is looking for ways to increase security cooperation with Israel and its Arab allies. White House National Security Council communications director John Kirby said they are investigating how to connect various air defense systems in the area. Axios said that during Biden’s visit, he wanted to discuss his vision of “integrated missile defense and maritime defense” between Arab countries such as the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Guzansky said increased cooperation does not mean that there will be a defense alliance like NATO. “Countries do not aim to protect each other.” It’s about a community of convenience against the common enemy.
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Biden is resisting accusations that he can subordinate human rights to oil. However, it is a fact that before the congress elections to be held in November, it is under great pressure due to high fuel prices. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently told CNN: “There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia must answer for what it has done to Jamal Khashoggi.” But “there is no doubt that we need to increase the global (oil) supply. And Saudi Arabian-led OPEC is at the forefront.”
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There is cautious hope for the people of Yemen, as Saudi Arabia is fighting its allies against the Houthis during Biden’s visit. The ceasefire, in effect since April, has eased tensions in the civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people. The Saudi leadership is seeking a way out of the bloody and costly conflict and is now meeting directly with Iranian representatives in Baghdad.
A permanent ceasefire no longer seems impossible. US think tank Brookings wrote: “Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia is a chance to end the war in Yemen.”
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The crown prince is unlikely to be involved in a real investigation of the Khashoggi case or human rights commitments. “The Crown Prince government continues to arrest, torture and arbitrarily execute large numbers of people,” said an open letter from 13 human rights organizations sent to Biden ahead of the visit. The organizations warned that the visit could encourage MbS to “further violate international human rights”. Human rights activist Abdullah Alaoudh wrote on Twitter: “As Saudi activists who have been harmed by MbS, we feel betrayed by Biden.”
The President of the United States is under considerable pressure to make his Middle East visit and to at least get some of the wind from the sails of his critics. What are the expectations for this? Foreign Policy magazine wrote of the visit: “With a few exceptions, the Middle East has become a burial place for the ideas of US presidents, especially their elders.”
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I am Timothy Glover, a professional journalist and content creator. I specialize in writing and editing for news websites, specifically covering politics. I have been working as an author at News Unrolled for the past five years and have built up a reputation for producing quality content that is both informative and engaging.