Two weeks before leaving for a visit to the Middle East, US President Joe Biden received a reminder that this is an unexpected area. The nose and rage of the White House, to the front of the stage.
The American administration, which decided to hold a visit to Israel despite the internal crisis here, should be commended.
But it must be admitted that due to the new circumstances it will largely lose its importance.
Although the president will reiterate America's strong commitment to Israel's security, and the need to resolve the Palestinian problem, it will be careful not to be seen as interfering in the election process.
Will not scatter promises.
He will not flatter the government too much, and will try to hide his well-known resentment against opposition leader Netanyahu.
The main focus of the visit will be copied to Saudi Arabia.
There Biden will be forced to meet and also conduct business with the regent, Muhammad bin Salman.
Until recently the US administration called for a boycott and punishment of the young Saudi leader, but the war in Ukraine has devoured the cards, and Biden is now forced to reconcile with the regent just so that the latter will help increase oil production, whose market price has climbed to a record high.
Moreover, if it seemed that Ben Salman's entanglement in the journalist's affair would hurt his chances of succeeding his father, President Biden would find that the Middle East upheavals only brought the color back to the regent's cheeks.
Only recently has he returned from a victory campaign in Turkey, Cairo and Amman.
President Erdogan, in whose territory Khashukji was assassinated, long gave up the demand to hand over the killers, embracing Ben Salman in exchange for a Saudi promise to invest billions of dollars in the Turkish economy and purchase unmanned attack aircraft from Ankara.
In a boxed article one can point to a built-in and continuous failure in the pattern of thinking of American presidents, especially from the Democratic camp, whereby tyrants can be “educated” to respect human rights.
Their disillusionment usually comes too late.
The same is true of Biden, who has had to acknowledge the unfortunate fact that the price of oil is more expensive than human life.
To allay criticism in Washington of reconciliation with Ben Salman, the US president will try to extract from him not only increased oil production, but also a promise to join the Sunni states that are normalizing their relations with Israel.
But Ben Salman does support the process, but is slow and careful, preferring the secret channel.
He sends his men to a meeting with senior Israeli officials, but stays away from public meetings.
Again, if he obeys the president's request, he will do so in measured steps, rather than in a dramatic announcement.
As for Iran, Biden's interlocutors in Israel and Saudi Arabia will meet a president eager to renew the nuclear deal.
Israel will not be able to prevent the signing, but should take advantage of the visit to get a promise that the agreement will not get its hands on it if it turns out that the Iranians continue to lie all the way to the bomb.
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