
Biden says US would use force as a “last resort” to prevent Iran’s nuclear weapons
As Joe Biden visits the middle EastA new US intelligence report has warned that the Iranian military may be planning to assassinate senior Trump administration officials – including the ex-president himself – in revenge for the US assassination in 2020 Qasem Soleimani.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, is there Israel for talks at the start of his first trip to the Middle East. Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed Mr Biden at Ben Gurion International Airport on his “journey of peace” to the region.
Mr Biden met with Holocaust survivors at the Yad Vashem Museum and was seen wiping tears after a solemn ceremony. In an interview with Israeli television, the president said the US would use force as a “last resort” to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Biden will travel later Saudi Arabia aiming to “realign – but not break” US relations with Riyadh and take a tougher stance on the kingdom while hoping to build on the Abraham Accords between Israel and the Gulf states – a report by axios indicate that progress has already been made.
Biden in Saudi Arabia: ‘Humiliating descent’ or a chance to assert US diplomacy?
The White House says Mr Biden’s visit to Saudi leaders is meant to “realign” America’s relationship with Riyadh. But as Andrew Feinberg reports, foreign policymakers are divided over whether the president should go at all.
What’s really behind Biden’s controversial trip to Saudi Arabia?
The White House says Mr Biden’s visit to Saudi leaders is meant to “realign” America’s relationship with Riyadh. But as Andrew Feinberg reports, foreign policymakers are divided over whether the president should go at all
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 15, 2022 04:00
Why is Joe Biden going to Saudi Arabia?
There will be several items on the agenda Joe Biden lands in Jeddah, the centuries-old port city on the Red Sea coast, on Friday.
Mr. Biden will arrive Saudi Arabia on Friday his first visit to an Arab country since taking office as part of his attendance at a Gulf Cooperation Council summit at the invitation of King Salman: a political, economic and military alliance that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab States Emirates alongside Saudi Arabia hosting the summit.
He will also attend a bilateral meeting with leaders of Saudi Arabia itself, including King Salman and his controversial heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Why is Joe Biden going to Saudi Arabia?
The President has an agenda with several issues to discuss with Saudi leaders
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 15, 2022 03:00
Understand Joe Biden’s evolving views on Saudi Arabia
Joe Biden will touch down Saudi Arabia on Friday in a move that summarily ended his campaign promise to make the wealthy Gulf state an “outcast” in the global community.
The visit of the President, which he tried to explain in a Washington Post Commenting on and through a statement from his spokesman last month, a clear reversal of his once vow to make the Kingdom pay for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is a Washington Post Columnist criticizing Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
A year and a half into his tenure in the White House, Mr. Biden’s evolving view of Saudi Arabia remains one of the biggest differences between Joe Biden, the president, and Joe Biden, the presidential nominee.
From ‘pariah’ to ‘partner’: understanding Joe Biden’s evolving views on Saudi Arabia
The president’s softening of rhetoric has yet to yield results
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 15, 2022 02:00
As Biden tours the Middle East, inflation at home remains the top concern
Inflation has hit a 40-year high as prices have risen 9.1 percent year over year, according to the latest figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The CPI for all urban consumers rose 1.3 percent last month, with gasoline, housing and groceries being the biggest contributors to inflation.
The numbers come as a devastating blow to President Joe Biden as many voters continue to express frustration at soaring prices.
Inflation hits a 40-year high, with energy prices being the biggest contributor
The numbers are the latest blow for President Joe Biden
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 15, 2022 00:00
Washington Post editor slams Biden’s Saudi Arabia trip
Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan struck out president Joe Biden on Tuesday about the recording of Saudi Arabia on the itinerary for his forthcoming middle East Trip.
in one pillar Published in the newspaper’s opinion pages, Mr Ryan wrote that Mr Biden’s trip “undermines our moral authority” and constitutes an “embarrassing reversal” after the president vowed during the 2020 election campaign to support Saudi Arabia’s leadership to account for the murder of a journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Mr. Khashoggi who wrote frequently for the Washington Post and other outlets, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 after reporting critically about the government of his home country.
Washington Post editor hits out at Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia
Fred Ryan wrote that President’s planned trip ‘undermines our moral authority’
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 11:00 p.m
In pictures: Joe Biden meets with US athletes at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem
Joe Biden poses with US athletes at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Maccabiah Games
(REUTERS)
Joe Biden speaks to US athletes at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, US President Joe Biden and Israel’s Acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the Games opening ceremony
(AFP via Getty Images)
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 10:00 p.m
Expert: ‘Bad sign’ Biden ‘won’t be welcomed by Saudi senior royal’
Report that Joe Biden will be warmly welcomed Saudi Arabia by a lower-ranking member of the royal family have fueled theories that his meetings in the middle East won’t go as planned.
“Very bad sign” that Joe Biden “is not welcomed by the Saudi senior royal,” says the expert
A Saudi Arabia-based expert said the rank of the US president’s royal salute on the tarmac didn’t matter
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 21:10
Biden secures Israel and Saudi Arabia deals over Red Sea islands
president Joe Biden has reportedly helped solidify an agreement between Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that would solve a long-standing dispute over a couple islands in which Red Sea and allow Israeli planes to transit Saudi airspace for the first time in history.
Corresponding axios, The deal would allow the Saudis to take full control of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which have been a demilitarized zone since Egypt and Israel signed the 1979 peace treaty brokered with the help of then-President Jimmy Carter.
Biden secures Red Sea island deals and Israeli use of Saudi airspace
The agreement brings Israel and Saudi Arabia closer to normalizing relations
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 8:40 p.m
Opinion: Biden wanted to make Saudi Arabia an “outcast”. What has changed?
Jeffrey Fields, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the University of Southern California, writes:
This visit represents a reversal of rhetoric and policy for Biden, especially as the agenda includes a meeting with the crown prince, who is accused of Khashoggi’s murder.
Biden said he wants to make Saudi Arabia an “outcast”. What has changed?
This visit represents a reversal of rhetoric and policy for Biden, especially as the agenda includes a meeting with the crown prince, who is accused of Khashoggi’s murder
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 8:20 p.m
Biden’s Friday schedule
No times are currently known for the President’s schedule for Friday, July 15, but he has listed five items including a visit to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
- The President will address the East Jerusalem Hospital Network at Augusta Victoria Hospital.
- The President will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority at the Muqataa Presidential Compound in Bethlehem, West Bank.
- The President and President Mahmoud Abbas will make joint statements.
- The President will visit the Church of the Nativity.
- The President travels to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Oliver O’ConnellJuly 14, 2022 8:00 p.m