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White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Wednesday that President Biden would not shake hands with anyone during this week’s trip to the Middle East due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, shortly thereafter, Biden met former Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and shook hands with him.
Sullivan was discussing this policy while talking to reporters on Air Force One before the president arrived in Israel.
“I think the simplest way to say it is that we’re in a pandemic stage and we’re aiming for more masking, less contact, and minimal spread,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan admits, “We see how exactly it happens in a particular exchange,” but the president’s participation in a handshake event with the people of the White House. Given that, a common non-contact policy is a protocol change. The last two days.
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However, Sullivan argued that the change was “not unusual” because attention was paid to traveling abroad like Biden did. He noted that the president tested negative for COVID-19 before the flight on Wednesday morning.
White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre later supported this, saying the decision was made by Biden’s doctor. She quoted the epidemic of variants of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, saying, “It is reasonable to expect him to take additional precautions.”
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One reporter who mentioned Biden shaking hands at the White House’s South Loan said whether the ban on handshakes was a new policy change, and that it was shaking hands with Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Asked if it had anything to do with concerns about being seen. Biden will travel from Israel to Saudi Arabia later this week, and he will meet the Crown Prince and his father, King Salman.
“This depends on his doctor,” Jean-Pierre argued, arguing that this was not a change in official policy, but an effort to “minimize contact as much as possible.”
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“We want to make sure we’re taking these precautions to keep him safe and to keep us all safe, and we want to be very clear about it. “Masu,” she added.
Biden was greeted by several Israeli officials when he got off Air Force One. He didn’t shake hands with them, but the president slammed almost all of them with his fists and put his hands on their shoulders, saying a few words to each.
After that, he and Netanyahu shook hands.