Status: 07/14/2022 01:36 am
US President Biden has arrived in Israel. There he apparently wants to make a joint declaration to protect Israel together with Prime Minister Lapid. The addressee: Tehran.
At the beginning of the official daily program there is a meeting of two people who like each other. The warm welcome at the airport showed that Joe Biden and Israel’s interim prime minister, Jair Lapid, until recently he was foreign minister.
The US Democrat Biden and the Israeli Liberal Lapid have more in common politically than was the case with Biden and Israel’s long-term Prime Minister Netanyahu. He is now the leader of the opposition. Israel votes in the fall. And because Joe Biden doesn’t want to appear biased, he’s now also meeting Netanyahu – a full 15 minutes are scheduled.
US President Biden in the Middle East – talks on regional security
Sophie von der Tann, ARD Tel Aviv, daily topics 9:45 p.m., July 13, 2022
Biden wants to consult with Jair Lapid for more than an hour in the morning. The threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program will take center stage. Jair Lapid made that clear after Biden’s arrival.
We will discuss national security issues and building a new security and economic architecture together with the countries of the Middle East. We will discuss the need to renew a global alliance that will stop Iran’s nuclear program.
Heads of government want to present Jerusalem declaration
The two heads of government are expected to present a joint statement. This was reported by the Israeli media even before the US President had even landed. The so-called Jerusalem Declaration is intended to describe the relationship between the two countries and be a blueprint for the future. The US will also reportedly commit to preventing Iran from ever possessing nuclear weapons.
Experts like Amos Yadlin, former head of the Israel Institute for National Security Issues, speak of a very important explanation.
There will be a very strongly worded commitment on the Iran issue that Iran will never have nuclear weapons. Another sentence says that both states use all available means to stop Iran.
To protect itself from potential Iranian threats, Israel is hoping for financial and technological support from its key ally. After his arrival, US President Biden emphasized:
Our connection is deeper and stronger than I believe it ever was. With this visit we are strengthening our relationship even further. We reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, including Israel’s participation in world-leading defense technology.
Subdued expectations for Arab cooperation
It is uncertain whether Joe Biden will be able to mediate rapprochement between the two countries during his trip to Israel and then to Saudi Arabia. In the run-up to the trip, there had been speculation about military cooperation between Israel and Arab states, such as a joint air defense early warning system. Security expert Amos Yadlin dampens such expectations.
I see no impending breakthrough in Israel’s regional integration. But we could see symbolic moves, like Israeli flights through Saudi Arabian airspace, or perhaps direct flights for Muslim pilgrims from Israel to Mecca.
After meeting Israel’s Prime Minister Lapid and President Herzog, Joe Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the Maccabiad – the competition of Jewish athletes from around the world. a team from Germany also takes part.
Gudrun Engel, ARD Washington, currently Tel Aviv, on Biden’s mission in the Middle East
daily topics 9:45 p.m., 13.7.2022
On the last day of his visit, before continuing to Saudi Arabia, the US President will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem. In the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, he continued to support a two-state solution, Joe Biden explained and added after landing in Israel, but he knew that it would not be feasible in the near future.