For the first time, a US president visited East Jerusalem, sending a signal to Israel that part of the city could be the future capital of a Palestinian state. There, while visiting Augusta Victoria hospital, Biden pledged $100 million for Palestinian healthcare in East Jerusalem.
Next, Biden headed to Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, he made no promises for renewed peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, saying the ground is “not ripe” for negotiations.
According to CBN News, After Israel comes from perhaps the most challenging part of his Mideast trip. The president going to Saudi Arabia, a country he once called a “pariah” due to its human rights record and connections to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“My position on Khashoggi has been so clear. If anyone doesn’t understand it in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, then they haven’t been around for a while,” Biden said during a press conference in Jerusalem on Friday. Biden, though, has made a point of wanting more positive relations with the country even as he admits the US left a vacuum in the region.
“The reason I’m going to Saudi Arabia, though, is much broader – to promote US interests. Promote US interests in a way that I think we have an opportunity to reassert I think we made a mistake of walking away from is our influence in the Middle East,” said Biden.
“When the United States distances itself from other countries and other friends that should be stronger friends and stronger allies, they go elsewhere,” Areyh Lightstone, aide to former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. “And when they go elsewhere, there aren’t other good friendly countries that are waiting with open arms.
Saudi Arabia has an enormous amount of resources. They are an attractive prize on the world stage. So, whether it’s China or Russia or others, that’s where they are going to run to. So, it behooves us to hug them closely and enhance the relationship with them, even if we have challenges in the relationship. To distance them is only going to our enemies and our foes.”
