Six years after his last official presence (at the time as vice president), President Biden visited the Middle East on a four day trip with a visit to Jerusalem, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia. Remarkably, the flight to Saudi Arabia was a direct flight from Israel, which was the first direct flight by an American president between both locations. A sign of change in the diplomatic relations in the region.
What were the key topics prior to Biden’s visit to the Middle East?
There were four key points regarding Biden’s visit.
- First, the progress of the relationships between Israel and key Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates.
- Another difficult issue was addressing Palestine’s issues regarding Israel (including the Israel-Palestine peace talks) and a possible economic support package.
- With the war in Ukraine, energy prices rose massively and the necessity for oil supply from Saudi Arabia has led to an attempt from the Biden administration to press their Gulf allies to expand their oil production to the West and counterweight Russia’s relevance in the oil distribution panorama. A controversial decision was added when Biden decided to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the man found guilty by U.S. intelligence for the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi. A killing that Biden condemned strongly.
- A final topic was on the role that the United States could have in order to settle the differences that it has with Israel regarding measures to combat Iran’s nuclear power threat. On this topic, equally important were the talks for a strengthening of the military coordination system of the Arab-Israel partnership.
Tumultuous times and the breakdown of the Israel-Palestine peace negotiations
The visit to Israel and the West Bank, occured at a tumultuous time, mainly due to the recent collapse of the Israeli government and the placement of an interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid. On the agenda, there was a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the opposition and with elections taking place in November the tensions are high in Israel. From the Palestinian side, tensions are equally skyrocketing. First, there was the question whether Biden would establish a position and address the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, considering the fact that she was a United States citizen. The killing of the journalist led to a wave of discontent from the Palestinians, especially after the American decision to not press Israel to pursue a criminal investigation on Israeli Soldiers. Another reason relates to the reopening of the Consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, closed under Donald Trump’s presidency. Despite being renamed “US Office of Palestinian Affairs” before Biden’s arrival, it remains closed. In the past, Lapid turned down the idea of reopening the consulate saying that it was a bad idea. However, he was open to the idea as long as it was reopen in Ramallah, but not in Jerusalem.
What did Biden say during his stay in Israel and the West Bank?
On his short stay, Biden met with Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, 15th July. Upon the meeting with Lapid, there was a common focus on the Iranian threat. However, Biden had a more diplomatic approach with a possibility of restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. In a news conference, Biden also took the opportunity to hint a possible push on normalized relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia; and with other Arab states. Israel also demonstrated the use of the Iron Dome rocket-interception system and a prototype system called Iron Beam. On the meeting with Netanyahu, there was again a shared concern regarding Iran, with the opposition leader having a more radical approach defending that readiness to use military options towards Tehran is necessary.
The meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was held in Bethlehem, on Friday, 16th July. It was the first high-level contact between the United States and the Palestinian officials since Donald Trump adopted harsh policies favouring Israel in 2017. Biden warned that it is not the best moment to restart peace negotiations and offered more than 300 million dollars for Palestinian hospitals. He also reported that Israel agreed to upgrade wireless networks in the West Bank and Gaza; something not confirmed yet by Israel. Regardless, Biden did not offer any long-term plan and did not criticize Israel for expanding settlements.
Outcome of Biden’s visit and future perspectives
Perhaps the main outcome is the commitment to continue strengthening diplomatic relations between Israel and the Arab countries. A Join declaration was signed by both Lapid and Biden, in which the United States committed to expanding Israel’s regional integration. This was included in the context of Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Biden also defended a two state-solution for Israel and Palestine. However, from the Palestinian perspective, Biden’s visit fell short in terms of the expectations and what happened. Another outcome is the consensus from Israel, the Gulf States and the United States on the Iranian threat. This perceived threat will likely accelerate the diplomatic relationships between these countries. Only the future can tell whether Iran posses a real nuclear danger. Regardless it will be interesting to see which direction future accords or measures take. The Gulf States and Israel seem keener on a stronger response perhaps with use of force while the United States and the Biden administration remain keen on negotiation and diplomacy.
