In reversal, Biden to visit Saudi Arabia, interact with Crown Prince

Will hold virtual summit meeting with Modi and 0ther ‘I2-U2’ Leaders

U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia as part of a larger trip to the Middle East in July and his visit will involve an interaction with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who, according to U.S. intelligence agencies, was the mastermind behind the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. During his presidential campaign, Mr Biden had vowed to isolate Saudi Arabia over the killing and make it “pay”.

Mr Biden’s trip will comprise of a visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia),  July 13-16, during which time he will also hold a virtual summit level meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the UAE’s President, Mohammed bin Zayed, as part of the I2-U2 country grouping.

In West Asia, the U.S. is engaged in partnerships that include countries a mixture of countries in the region and those outside, a continuation of the Trump administration’s effort to help build Israel’s links to other countries. The Israel leg of Mr Biden’s trip – according to a senior administration official , who did not want to be named , was to not just “reaffirm” the U.S.’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security but also deepen areas of cooperation across sectors, and enhance Israel’s integration with regional countries , such as in groups that include countries from outside West Asia.

“And in this regard, the President will hold a virtual summit with the I2-U2 heads of state for discussions of the food security crisis, and other areas of cooperation across hemispheres, where UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs,” the official  told reporters on a briefing call on Monday.  There will also be “side meeting and engagements” which will be announced later.

The President’s trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which will follow visits to Israel and the West Bank, is centred around a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus three (GCC + 3). The GCC is an economic and political alliance of six West Asian countries.

 “So yes, we can expect the President to see the Crown Prince,” the official said.

On Wednesday, the administration official defended the move saying the engagement with Saudi Arabia had helped yield results – notably a truce to a conflict between a Saudi led coalition and rebels in Yemen, and an agreement by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ states to increase output of oil by 50%, ahead of schedule. Petrol prices in the U.S. and elsewhere have been soaring, and while there has been opposition to Mr Biden’s visit to the Kingdom from lawmakers, some have suggested he use the relationship to further U.S. interests.