On his trip to the Middle East, US President Joe Biden wants to promote rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Together they should curb Iran’s influence. For this, Biden has to give up his distance from the Saudi regime.
When US President Joe Biden announced his inaugural visit to his close Middle East partner Israel in mid-June, the trip was under completely different circumstances than today. At that time, the head of government in Israel was still called Naftali Bennett, a national conservative. Just a week later, the Israeli government was suddenly in ruins. Since then, the Prime Minister has been Jair Lapid, a Liberal who only holds the office on an executive basis. New elections are to take place in Israel as early as November – the fifth within three years. The leader of the previous government, accused of corruption, right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu, is planning a comeback.