Tel Aviv US President Joe Biden plans to visit Saudi Arabia in July, thereby changing his previous line. He had described the country as a “pariah state” because of the brutal assassination of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Kashoggi during the US election campaign.
The New York Times quotes foreign policy experts as saying that with the about-face, “realpolitik triumphs over moral outrage.” If Saudi Arabia produces more oil, this would at least partially compensate for the loss of Russian oil supplies and help to stabilize the energy markets, which could counteract the inflationary tendencies in the USA. As Biden and the Democrats face growing voter resentment over high prices, raising energy prices has become a political issue.
The details of Biden’s trip to Riyadh have not yet been officially announced. But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has already made two advance payments, showing his interest in putting relations with the United States on a new footing. Saudi Arabia got permission from OPEC members this week to increase production. At the same time, the kingdom agreed to extend the ceasefire in Yemen by two months.
In Washington, the reactions to the two advances were almost effusive. The White House praised Saudi Arabia for its positive role within Opec countries to pump more oil. Biden also hailed the Saudis for agreeing to extend the ceasefire in the eight-year war against the Houthis in Yemen, Iran’s proxies. Saudi Arabia is “an important partner for the United States in combating extremism in the region,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, specifically naming the challenges posed by Iran.
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Biden’s trip to the Middle East should therefore not only send a signal to the oil markets. Against the background of the Iranian threat, the USA is also interested in better coordination of regional defense.
Discussions about closer relations with Israel
The need to intensify cooperation between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has already been discussed in talks between Jerusalem and Washington, according to Israel. This could also include the formation of a regional defense system to repel Iranian missiles and cruise missiles, as well as drones.
Both Washington and Jerusalem hope that Saudi Arabia will also join the alliance. Blinken said this week that Riyadh could join the Abraham Accords. Human rights are still important, but “we are addressing the totality of our interests in this relationship.”
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Shortly before, Israel’s Foreign Minister Jair Lapid had let it be known that his country, together with the USA and the Gulf States, was working on a “normalization process with Riyadh”. However, he spoke of “baby steps” to dampen overly high expectations.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has shown his interest in putting relations with the United States on a new footing.
(Photo: AP)
The Abraham Accords, signed under the auspices of former US President Donald Trump, established normal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. They would hardly have dared to establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the approval of Riyadh.
While there are no official diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, reports of unofficial contacts are piling up. Bin Salman sees Israel as a “strategic partner” in the fight against Iranian influence in the region, observers in Jerusalem, relying on US diplomats, say. But Riyadh is also interested in doing business with the high-tech nation, like the Emirates and Bahrain.
Dozens of representatives of Israeli tech entrepreneurs and business people are said to have recently flown to Saudi Arabia for talks on Saudi investments in Israeli companies and Israeli investment funds, the business daily Globes reported a week ago.
It is currently not certain whether the 79-year-old Biden, whose travel plans currently include Spain and Germany in addition to Riyadh, will also visit Israel. Diplomats in Jerusalem say his decision will depend on whether the divided coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett survives the next few weeks.
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