US President Joe Biden will make a historic flight in July by flying directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia, where he plans to meet Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, despite accusations against him over the assassination of a Saudi journalist.
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The White House put an end to several weeks of speculation on Tuesday June 14 by announcing a tour of the American president in Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia from July 13 to 16.
This will be his first trip to the Middle East as Head of State.
A senior US official added that Joe Biden would participate in a virtual summit with the other leaders of the group known as I2-U2 - Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates - during his trip to the Middle East.
The summit will provide an opportunity for "
discussions on the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation between regions for which the Emirates and Israel are important centers of innovation
", he explained on Tuesday. .
Gulf Cooperation Council
In addition to his meetings, Joe Biden has planned to participate in a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - a diplomatic forum bringing together several Arab countries in the region - in Saudi Arabia.
Expectations are high that Joe Biden will seek to get the Saudis to increase their oil production, in order to stop the upward spiral of fuel prices and inflation in his country where the elections will take place. mid-term in November, a risky ballot for his Democratic Party.
Whatever the outcome, his meeting with the Saudi crown prince and
de facto
ruler of the kingdom, nicknamed "MBS", will mark a controversial change in American diplomacy.
Relationship recalibration
During the campaign for the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden had indeed claimed that the assassination and dismemberment in 2018 of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who had taken refuge in the United States, criticized the Saudi authorities, in particular in his articles for the
Washington Post,
had made Saudi Arabia a "
pariah
" country.
Findings from US intelligence agencies leaked by the Biden administration identified the crown prince as the sponsor of the entire operation that took place in Turkey.
“
We can expect the president to see Crown Prince
” Mohammed Bin Salman during his visit to the kingdom, a senior US official told reporters.
"
US policy required a recalibration of relations
" after Khashoggi's murder "
but not a breakup
".
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner of the United States for eight decades and that some 80,000 Americans live there.
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According to the White House, "
energy security
" will be a central theme of the president's visit to Saudi soil, but US officials have argued that his entire tour includes broader diplomatic objectives.
Climax
According to the spokesperson for the executive, Karine Jean-Pierre, "
this visit to the Middle East region is the culmination of several months of diplomacy
", rather than fueled by short-term domestic elements.
Joe Biden is to meet with a dozen leaders during this brief but intense tour, demonstrating "
the return of American leadership
", noted a senior American official to the press.
This trip will open with a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Joe Biden first visited Israel almost fifty years ago when he was a young senator.
They are expected to discuss US support for the Israeli military, particularly its Iron Dome anti-missile air defense system, amid tensions heightened by the failure to revitalize the major power agreement with Tehran on its nuclear program.
Commitment to Israel's Security
"
In Israel, the president is likely to visit an area where these defense systems are in use and discuss the latest innovations between our countries using anti-missile laser technologies and other airborne threats
," the senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. .
"
He will reaffirm Israel's strong commitment to security
," he added.
Joe Biden is also due to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, likely in Bethlehem, the source said.
He will reiterate '
his enduring commitment to a two-state solution
' for Palestinians and Israelis and work to restore ties with Palestinian authorities that were '
almost severed
' under Donald's previous administration Trump.
Historic Flight
It is at the end of the tour that the trip must mark history - and cause the most ink to flow: the direct flight between Israel and Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, will be the first of an American president to an Arab country not recognizing the Jewish state from Israeli soil.
Its predecessor had made the trip in the opposite direction in 2017.
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In Saudi Arabia, he is due to take part in a GCC summit which brings together the leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Leaders from Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are also expected to attend, according to the US official.
A priority of the American head of state will be to maintain the recent truce in Yemen, to stem Iran's nuclear ambitions, "
to advance human rights and ensure global energy and food security
", specified the responsible.