![]() The US provides about $3.8bn in unconditional aid to Israel every year, despite widespread condemnation for its human rights abuses against Palestinians, including the recent killing by Israeli security forces of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May.Ību Akleh was fatally shot by a sniper while reporting in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. “The President’s visit will also reveal the steps that are being taken by the US to integrate Israel into the Middle East and increase the prosperity of the entire region,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement. Later on Monday, Bennett welcomed the trip, saying that the visit will “deepen the special relationship” between the two countries. When asked during an interview on MSNBC on Tuesday if Biden would discuss Khashoggi’s killing with MBS, National Security Council official John Kirby declined to discuss specifics, but said “human rights are always on the agenda when we’re meeting with with with counterparts all over the world.”īefore visiting Saudi Arabia, Biden will stop in Israel and meet Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, where he “will reaffirm the ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” and discuss continued US aid, according to Jean-Pierre. “And we share a host of interests with Saudi Arabia, from containing Iran, to counterterrorism, to helping protect its territory where, importantly, 70,000 Americans live and work.” ![]() “Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner of the United States for eight decades,” the official said. The official added that there is “no doubt” that human rights will be part of Biden’s discussions during his trip, but the source emphasised the importance of the alliance with Riyadh. “US policy demanded recalibration of relations” after the Khashoggi murder, “not a rupture,” the official said. The US official, who had spoken to reporters on condition of anonymity prior to the announcement, rejected that Biden was retreating from his principles in the upcoming trip. Rather, the White House said last year that the US president would only engage directly with his counterpart, King Salman. ![]() The White House had previously indicated after US intelligence directly linked MBS to Khashoggi’s murder that Biden would not be dealing with MBS directly going forward, as his predecessor Donald Trump had done. “Yes, we can expect the president to see the crown prince,” she said. Jean-Pierre later confirmed comments from a senior US official who told reporters Biden would meet MBS during the visit. With Saudi leadership, the US president will “discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues”, Jean-Pierre said, including to a continuing UN-mediated truce in fighting in Yemen, where Riyadh has led a coalition fighting Houthi rebels since 2015.īiden “will also discuss means for expanding regional economic and security cooperation, including new and promising infrastructure and climate initiatives, as well as deterring threats from Iran, advancing human rights, and ensuring global energy and food security,” she said. In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that while in Jeddah, Biden will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. The kingdom also arrested and tried several citizens over the incident.ĭuring his July visit, Biden is widely expected to try to secure a boost in Saudi oil production, as his administration scrambles to tame spiralling fuel costs – spurred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and inflation at home that are projected to hurt his Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. MBS has vehemently denied ordering or having prior knowledge of the murder. In 2019, a UN investigation concluded that Khashoggi’s murder was a “premeditated extrajudicial execution”.īut Riyadh has insisted that the killing was carried out by rogue agents without the approval of top officials, including the crown prince. Saudi officials initially claimed Khashoggi had left the building, but amid public pressure, later acknowledged that he was killed there. Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered by a group of Saudi agents inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. ![]() The stop in Saudi Arabia – and particularly the meeting with MBS – represent an about-face for Biden, who as a candidate said the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which US intelligence later directly linked to the crown prince, made the kingdom a “pariah”. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Top US envoy brought up Khashoggi murder in talks with Saudis list 2 of 4 Turkey eyes Jamal Khashoggi murder trial move to Saudi Arabia list 3 of 4 Biden says he has ‘not yet’ decided on trip to Saudi Arabia list 4 of 4 Saudi Arabia receives 1st foreign Hajj pilgrims since COVID began end of list
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