The US accused the crown prince in a declassified CIA report of authorizing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The crown prince denied involvement. The President’s interactions with the crown prince will be scrutinized — particularly how he greets MBS and whether Biden shakes his hand. The White House has tried to play down the significance of any greeting between Biden and MBS. “We are focused on meetings, not greetings,” a senior administration official told reporters. The official said, “The President will greet the leaders as he does. And there are no special rules for one leader or the other. So I know we’ve gotten that question a lot, but for those of us doing the work, it’s really — we’re focusing on the substance of the meetings and not the specific greetings. The President will go to about a dozen leaders and greet them as he usually does.” Biden’s handshakes — or lack thereof — came under scrutiny during that trip after the White House said the President was trying to reduce contact with others amid the spread of a contagious sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 . Biden has noticeably deviated from that guidance on several occasions in his two days in Israel, after throwing punches after his arrival, adding fuel to speculation that the guidance from the White House was an elaborate excuse for Biden to avoid tightening the hand of the crown prince. .

Biden in Saudi Arabia

The trip to Jeddah has been particularly thorny for the White House since it began to materialize earlier this year, given the President’s campaign promise to make the nation a “pariah” state over Khashoggi’s murder. Biden on Thursday did not commit to taking Khashoggi’s killing directly to leaders in Saudi Arabia and said he has “always” promoted human rights and that his views on the killing were “absolutely, positively clear.” US officials had told CNN before the trip that Biden was expected to raise Khashoggi with MBS. Overnight, Saudi Arabia confirmed an expected announcement that its airspace would be opened to Israeli airlines. Biden hailed the “historic decision” that followed “months of steady diplomacy,” noting that he would become the first US president to fly from Israel to Saudi Arabia. The trip comes amid high gas prices and widespread inflation in the U.S. and around the world, in part because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although the president and other officials have dismissed Saudi Arabia’s rich oil supply as a key motivation for the trip. A senior administration official said the meetings with the Saudi leadership would focus on strengthening the ongoing ceasefire in Yemen, technology cooperation including 5G, clean energy, global infrastructure and human rights, as well as discussing the global energy supply. But the official suggested that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and other Middle East officials would discuss energy security issues and that Biden would work with world leaders to lower gas prices. “I think the conversation really centers around, given the current market conditions, how do we see things? How do we see the next six months and how can we keep the markets balanced in a way that contributes to continued economic growth? That’s our shared focus.” , not only with the Saudis, but also with other producers,” the official said. The official added, “And of course, the President has said for months that he will do everything possible to lower prices. That includes releasing our own Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That includes diplomacy with other producers, and that includes, of course, our own domestic production”.

Biden in the West Bank

But before flying to Saudi Arabia for the most pressure-filled leg of his trip, Biden had a series of engagements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and several funding announcements aimed at helping the Palestinians. Biden made remarks at Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, announcing that he is asking Congress to approve up to $100 million for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. Former US President Donald Trump cut $25 million from the network’s planned funding during his time in office. “It is part of our commitment to support health and dignity for the Palestinian people,” he said, noting the “severe toll” of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospital system. He continued, “Working together, it is my prayer that the United States will help relieve hospital debt and support targeted infrastructure upgrades, key patient care reforms to ensure long-term financial stability.” The meetings followed a meeting Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who said Friday the President’s visit showed his “commitment to Israel’s military and diplomatic strength” and “moved the entire country.” The President is expected to announce on Friday morning an additional $201 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, according to White House. Biden is also expected to announce that Israel is committed to working with the Palestinians to accelerate the implementation of a 4G network in Gaza and the West Bank, with the goal of rolling out that infrastructure by the end of next year. “It has been a priority for President Biden to rebuild ties with the Palestinians that were severed by the previous administration,” the official said.
Biden will tell Abbas that Israel has agreed to increase accessibility to the Allenby Bridge so that Palestinians and others can access it 24 hours a day by September, the official said. The bridge is controlled by Israel and is the only crossing point into Jordan for Palestinians from the West Bank. “He will also announce steps to build grassroots support for peace, including supporting cooperation and professional exchanges between the Palestinian and Israeli health sectors as they work to build mutual trust,” the official said.
The US will also provide an additional $15 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in response to growing food insecurity caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Before departing for Saudi Arabia, Biden is scheduled to visit the Church of the Nativity “to underscore support for Christians facing challenges throughout the region,” the official said. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.