By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL-U.S. President Biden’s Middle East visit, the first during his presidency, came at a critical time with the sensitive issue of Iran’s nuclear program at the top of Biden’s agenda. Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, Biden shared his hopes for this four-day visit to the region, whose aim is to boost bilateral ties with both Israel and Saudi Arabia by commenting: “Greater peace. Greater stability. Greater connection.” With regard to Israel, Biden as well as Obama has always harbored the hope of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as he commented on Wednesday: “It’s critical. It’s critical, if I might add, for all the people of the region, which is why we’ll be – we’ll discuss my continued support – even though I know it’s not in the near-term for a two-state solution. That remains, in my view, the best way to ensure the future of equal measure of freedom, prosperity, and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians.
The major focus of Biden’s Middle East trip is to allay Israel’s fears about Iran’s fast-tracking its nuclear capabilities. On Wednesday, on Israeli TV, Biden had commented that in 2018 it was a mistake for former president Trump to have exited the previous nuclear agreement with Iran. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the U.S. and Israel in a joint declaration, announced the following: “The United States stresses that integral to this pledge, is the commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome.” In order to sign a deal, Iran is demanding that the U.S. stop listing its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization which Biden said on Israeli TV, that he refuses to do even if the deal ends up falling through. Biden did not rule out the use of force against Iran, but only as a “last resort,” he said. Biden’s Israel trip also included a briefing on Israel’s Iron Dome and Iron Beam air defense systems as well as a meeting with Palestinian officials in the West Bank. Biden received Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor as well.
Meanwhile, on Friday, there were positive outcomes from Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Saudi ministers who all agreed to increase oil output by 50 percent in July and August to help stabilize markets. The decision was made after bilateral meetings between Biden, top U.S. officials and top Saudi officials. The White House commented later: “Saudi Arabia has committed to support global oil market balancing for sustained economic growth,” adding “We have welcomed the increase in production levels 50 percent above what was planned for July and August.” In addition, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed a new bilateral agreement known as the Partnership Framework for Advancing Clean Energy with new Saudi investments to “accelerate the energy transition and combat the effects of climate change,” the White House commented.
