US President Joe Biden will, as a part of a wider West Asia tour, travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) next month in a bid to repair and build on ties with one of Washington’s closest allies, bringing the curtains down on his administration’s tough approach to the country’s with which ties have frayed in recent years over human rights concerns, the White House announced on Tuesday.
Ending weeks of speculation, The White House said that Biden will travel to Israel, the Palestinian West Bank, and Saudi Arabia from July 13-16 — his first trip to West Asia since taking office.
During his visit to Israel, the president will also participate in the first leader-level virtual summit of the I2-U2 grouping, which includes Israel, India, United Arab Emirates and the US and is also sometimes called the western Quad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to participate in the meeting virtually.
A senior US administration official said, “The leaders will discuss the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation across hemispheres where the UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs.”
But the major political takeaway from the visit is the reset in ties with Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration had categorically blamed MBS, as he is popularly referred to, for the 2018 killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden had threatened to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and “pay a price” when he took office. And besides authorising an official report on the killing, the administration also imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on 70 Saudi individuals and entities.
But strategic imperatives have forced the administration, in recent months, to recast its policy approach. Saudi Arabia is crucial to sustaining a ceasefire with Yemen, and, as the chair of OPEC, its decision on ramping up oil production is central to stabilising energy prices which have shot up in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Israel — Washington’s closest ally in the region — has also lobbied hard to get the Biden administration to normalise ties with MBS, as both Jerusalem and Riyadh deepen ties in the face of what they see as a common challenge from Iran.
A senior US administration official that Biden’s engagement with MBS will be a part of his outreach to a dozen Saudi leaders, including King Salman. The official said that human rights remain an issue and will be discussed behind closed doors and the administration believes engagement is the best way to find solutions. But he added, “While we recalibrate relations, we are not seeking to rupture relations, because Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner of the United States for eight decades.”
When asked if Biden believed MBS was responsible for Khashoggi’s killing, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said, “The President is focused on getting things done for the American people…If he determines that the interests of the United States to engage with a foreign leader and that such an engagement can deliver results, then he’ll do so.”
In a statement, the White House said that Biden, in Saudi Arabia, 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”.
He will also participate in a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
This will also mark Biden’s first visit to Israel as president, where he will — according to the White House — reinforce the US’s “iron-clad” commitment to Israel’s security and prosperity. In West Bank, he will engage with the Palestinian Authority and reiterate his support for the “two-state solution”.
