In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the significant energy crisis it caused for European nations, US President Joe Biden's first official trip to the Middle East this week is a clear indication that he has realised the need to change the US strategy of withdrawal from the region and attempt to recalibrate his relations with Middle Eastern leaders.
From July 13 to July 16, Biden will go to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the occupied West Bank. He is expected will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
President Biden will make an effort to persuade his audience that despite emphasising its rivalry with China, the United States does not want to withdraw from the Middle East or leave its allies. After all, the US has been successful in revitalising NATO, and it may succeed in doing the same with its alliances in the Middle East.
President Biden recalled that his administration helped terminate the 2021 War in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which could have lasted months, in just 11 days in an op-ed column that was published in the Washington Post on Saturday. He wrote, "We have collaborated with Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan to uphold peace without allowing terrorists to re-arm.
Biden also emphasised that he had improved relations with Palestinians by passing a USD 4 billion support for Israel, the greatest amount of US aid ever provided to the Jewish state, and restoring USD 500 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority that had been withheld for years.
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