As of: 07/13/2022 6:37 p.m
US President Biden was received as a “true friend” on a state visit to Israel. He assured the country of US support. But the more difficult part of the trip is likely to be the visit to Saudi Arabia.
US President Joe Biden has arrived in Israel on his first trip to the Middle East as head of state and has assured the country of continued US support. Support for Israel’s security is “unwavering,” Biden said after landing in Tel Aviv. “Relationships are deeper and stronger than ever.”
“A common enemy has been identified”, Gudrun Engel, ARD Washington, currently Jerusalem, on Biden’s visit to Israel
Tagesschau 4:00 p.m., 13.7.2022
Israeli President Izchak Herzog and Prime Minister Jair Lapid welcomed Biden with a solemn ceremony: “Today the wind of peace is blowing from North Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf,” said Herzog in his welcoming speech. During Biden’s visit, however, the threat posed by Iran and its allies to Israel and its neighbors should also be discussed. Biden had been a “true friend and staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish people throughout his life,” he said.
Lapid announced talks on a “new security and economic architecture” in the Middle East. It is also said to be about the Abraham Agreement, under which some Arab countries have established diplomatic relations with Israel. Biden plans to travel to Saudi Arabia later this week. Saudi Arabia’s accession to the agreement is currently considered unlikely, but there is speculation that Israel and the Gulf monarchy could increase military cooperation.
Biden: Don’t forget the lessons of history
In his speech, the US President emphasized the importance of fighting anti-Semitism. “We continue our never-ending work together to fight the poison of anti-Semitism – no matter where it rears its ugly head.” One should never forget the lessons of history. “We keep the promise that the Holocaust must never be repeated.”
He was then shown the “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense system and visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, where he also met two Shoah survivors.
Solution of the Middle East conflict a long way off
In the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Biden again advocated a two-state solution. He knows that this solution is not in sight at the moment – but he is convinced that it remains the best way to bring prosperity and democracy to Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Prime Minister Lapid called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week – it was the first direct conversation between Abbas and an Israeli head of government in years. Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan called this “encouraging” and that both sides should build on it. However, Biden will not make any formal proposals for a new peace initiative. The US President and Abbas want to meet in the West Bank on Friday. However, it is not expected that there could be any progress in the peace process, which has been idle since 2014, due to Biden’s visit.
Difficult part of the journey is still ahead
Biden also wants to travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday. In Jeddah he wants to meet with the kingdom’s leadership and attend a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Biden is under enormous pressure in the USA because of the sharp rise in fuel prices – and that almost four months before the important congressional elections.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest oil producers in the world. Biden rejects allegations that with his trip he is now subordinating human rights to the demand for cheaper oil. During the 2019 election campaign, Biden promised to hold the leadership in Riyadh accountable for the murder of anti-government Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was killed by a hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in autumn 2018. US intelligence services blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – the de facto ruler of the kingdom.