Joe Biden to visit Middle East, meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

• US President Joe Biden will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.
• It will be his first trip to the Middle East as president.
• He will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, following efforts to isolate the oil kingdom’s de facto ruler after the killing of a journalist.

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden will make history next month when he flies directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, abandoning efforts to isolate the oil kingdom’s de facto ruler following the assassination of a dissident.

Biden will visit Israel, the Palestinian West Bank, and Saudi Arabia from July 13 to 16, the White House announced Tuesday, putting an end to weeks of doubt.

This will be Biden’s first trip to the Middle East as president, and he will attend a regional Gulf Cooperation Council conference in Saudi Arabia in addition to meetings with individual leaders in all three locations.

Biden is widely expected to win a jump in Saudi oil production in an effort to bring the country’s oil price down.

Whatever happens, his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, will represent a contentious policy shift.

As a presidential contender, Biden claimed that Saudi Arabia had become a “pariah” following the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi-born US resident known for publishing critical articles about Saudi leadership in The Washington Post.

MBS was recognised as the mastermind of the plot, according to US intelligence conclusions disclosed by the Biden administration.

While the White House stated that “energy security” will be discussed in Saudi Arabia, officials highlighted that the trip’s goals are more diplomatic in nature.

“This tour to the Middle East region ends months of diplomacy,” according to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, rather than being motivated by current domestic political concerns.

During the quick but rigorous trip, Biden will meet with almost a dozen leaders, showcasing “the return of American leadership,” according to a senior US official.

re-establish Palestinian connections
The tour kicks up with a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Israel, a place Biden first visited as a young senator nearly 50 years ago.

During a time of concern over the continuous failure to resurrect an international accord restraining Iran’s nuclear programme, the emphasis will be on the lavish US backing for Israel’s armed forces, particularly the Iron Dome anti-missile defence system.

“While in Israel, the president will likely tour an area where these defensive systems are used, as well as discuss new advances between our countries that use laser technologies to fight missiles and other airborne threats,” a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

“The president will reiterate America’s unwavering support for Israel’s security.”

According to a US official, Biden will visit Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Bethlehem.

Biden would emphasise “his lifetime commitment to a two-state solution” for Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the restoration of US ties with Palestinians, which were “virtually destroyed” under Trump’s predecessor.