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President Biden seemed to immediately withdraw the “no handshake” policy during the Middle East tour, with some speculating that the White House adopted the policy solely to avoid politically unpleasant encounters after the trip.
The White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Wednesday that he would avoid shaking hands during the four-day trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the president arrived in Israel, he appeared to be in compliance with his policy, and he greeted Israeli Prime Minister Yale Rapid and other officials with a fist.
But shortly thereafter, Biden shook hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During that time, I didn’t wear a face mask or take precautions against COVID-19.
Biden visited Madrid in June and attended the G7 conference. During this period, the city’s COVID-19 cases reached an average of over 2,000 new cases in seven days. Meanwhile, Biden shook hands without problems and became intimate with various leaders around the world, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was accused of cracking down on human rights activists. She cracks down on press freedom, the arrest and harassment of journalists.
Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport welcomes Biden and Air Force One on arrival
With a handshake with Netanyahu, some believe that White House policy has nothing to do with COVID-19 and to avoid bad press moments with Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The White House and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment or explanation.
According to The New York Times, Biden will fly to Jeddah to meet King Salman and the Crown Prince on Friday. The obvious flip-flops in his handshake policy only raise attention to how world leaders greet each other.
The White House this week claims that the trip is aimed at “promoting American interests,” as the world continues to face a fuel crisis, so the president asks OPEC leaders to increase oil production. Denied that he went to the Middle East to urge him.
Haley describes Biden’s efforts to revive Iran’s trading “slap” in Israel and its Arab allies.
“It’s not, it’s not, it’s not the focus,” White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday, adding that it was “not on the agenda.”
“It’s a clear decision by OPEC. Saudi Arabia is chairing it, so we want to be very clear about it,” she added.
Biden is already facing incredible scrutiny of his visit to Saudi Arabia, the Washington Post released an editorial by Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan on Monday, and the president’s trip “our morals. It erodes the authority. ”
“When Byden vowed to make Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’Paria’for his role in killing Washington Post contributor columnist Jamal Khashoggi, in search of a vote, the world There was every reason he thought it meant, “Ryan wrote in an editorial. Edited on Monday. “So why is President Biden now bending his knees to Jeddah and waving the bloody hand of’Paria’? Once again, he’s asking for a vote,” Ryan wrote.
Biden defends Iran’s deal against Israeli news cautiousness, civil servants advertise “significant strategic relationship”
Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, was killed in 2018 by Saudi Arabian security officials. A declassified document in February 2021 revealed that the US government had accused the Crown Prince of being killed.
“This assessment is the direct involvement of the Crown Prince in managing the Kingdom’s decision-making, the main adviser and members of Mohammed bin Salman’s protection details, and the violence to silence foreign dissidents. It is based on the Crown Prince’s support for the use of tactical measures, including Kashogi. “
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Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia during his first overseas trip as President and was not sour in the Arab countries. The Democrats have put Trump on a mission to take the killings less seriously.
Fox News’s Brooke Singman, Timothy Nezrozzi, Greg Norman, and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.