Arriving in Saudi Arabia, at the Yida palace, there was no handshake between Prince Mohamed bin Salman and President Joe Biden. But there was a fist bump, a politically correct gesture due to the pandemic, which for media purposes was interpreted in the same way as a classic greeting.
That is, a capitulation by Biden in his repudiation of the autocrat of the oil monarchy and the international consecration of a prince whom the CIA considers the author of the order that led to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post.
In addition to negotiating greater Saudi oil production to lower prices in the United States, among other issues, Biden assured after the meeting with Prince Bin Salman that “I have raised the Khashoggi issue as something key.”
He told his interlocutor that “silence in a human rights case is inconsistent for a president of the United States and with our values.” And he added that the host replied that he was not “personally responsible.”
This is the last and most controversial stage of the trip that the US president is making through the Middle East. Geostrategic interests – the normalization of Israel in the Arab world – and economic interests – lowering the price of gasoline in times of inflation – are pressing issues. As a result, Biden backtracked on his pronouncements condemning Saudi Arabia, already receiving bad publicity for his alleged role in the preparations for the 9/11 attacks.
Previous interventions have dogged Biden. On the campaign trail, raising the death of Khashoggi and the possible punishment of the Saudis, Biden argued that “we will make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the outcasts that they are.”
And, when asked last June about a possible meeting with the prince, he replied: “I am not going to meet with MSB”, using the acronym by which the de facto ruler of the kingdom is known. “I go to an international meeting and he is part of it,” he added.
“I’m not sorry for anything I’ve said,” he replied for having used the term outcast. “What happened with Khashoggi was outrageous,” she added.
The girlfriend of the slain journalist tweeted the photo of Biden greeting Bin Salman and the comment, “Is this accountability?” To which Biden replied: “I’m sorry that he feels that way.”
His new orientation is intended to ensure that there is no vacuum in the Middle East that makes it easy for China and Russia to be the dominant forces. To avoid this, the United States must exercise its leadership in the region with countries like Saudi Arabia.
The clash of what he said before with what was broadcast this Friday was more than evident and is the confirmation of realpolitik. After being received at the Al Salam palace with that fist bump, Saudi television distributed images of Biden with King Salman, with whom he did shake hands and more familiarity was found. He then held a work session in which Biden and the prince spent three hours rebuilding relations. In the minutes that the press was allowed in, the two moved on from reporters’ questions.
The American turned a deaf ear to the question of whether he still considered the prince an outcast, while the host put on a fake smile and fell silent on hearing whether he would apologize to Khashoggi’s family.
According to the White House, the two priority objectives were the increase in oil production and the strategic coordination for the integration of Israel in the Middle East.
A demonstration of these expectations was the landing of Air Force One in Saudi Arabia from Israel. It is a journey described as historic due to the Saudi decision to open the airspace to all civil aircraft. This includes the flights from Israel, further proof of relations between the two countries and the breaking of Israeli isolation.
The positive message for the Israelis left by Biden’s visit contrasts with the one he offered to the Palestinians after his meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas. Biden promised help for hospitals, refugees or access to the 4G internet network, as well as his support for Palestinian sovereignty, a circumstance that, he stressed, will be facilitated with Israel’s acceptance in the Arab region. But he warned that “the ground is not ready at this time to restart negotiations” between Israelis and Palestinians.
