That was President Biden’s response, during a Democratic debate in 2019, to a question about Saudi Arabia and the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Fast forward two and a half years later and the president will be meeting with the man who U.S. intelligence agencies said ordered the killing, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). The visit comes at a time of rising oil prices, and energy production is expected to be on the agenda of the discussions between Biden and MbS, whose country is the world’s biggest oil producer. Biden faced pushback from members of Congress who called for him to cancel his trip due to Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights records. However, the president defended his visit by citing the need to work together to end the war in Yemen, counter the threat from Iran, and stop the spread of Russian and Chinese influence in the region. Biden said that his views on human rights are clear and long-standing, and fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when he travels abroad. He is hardly the first president to run on a ‘human rights will be central to my foreign policy’ platform, only to be confronted in office by the realities of the Middle East.
Before his stop in Saudi Arabia, Biden will visit Israel, another country under heavy criticism for the killing of a journalist. Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for Al Jazeera for 25 years, and was one of the most prominent names across the Middle East for her decades of reporting in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Last week, a State Department investigation concluded that gunfire from Israeli military positions most likely killed Abu Akleh, but had no reason to believe that it was intentional. They said that a forensic analysis could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet that killed Abu Akleh. The statement angered Abu Akleh’s family, who wrote a letter to Biden saying his administration failed to conduct a thorough probe into her killing. Israel has also been mired in political gridlock in recent years. It looks all but certain that Israeli citizens will be voting in their fifth election in less than four years after continuous coalition governments have been unsustainable. Two weeks ago, it was unclear who would be prime minister during Biden’s visit.
Many Americans consistently ask why we still support Saudi Arabia despite the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and lack of rights for minorities, women, and the LGBT community. Let us remember that 15 of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi citizens. The Israel/Palestine conflict is a complex religious and ethnic issue that will not be solved by President Biden. Although, it is important for the United States to be an honest peace broker and to call out human rights abuses, not only in Gaza, but those committed by Israel and Saudi Arabia.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
CIMA Law Group Blog 