US President Joe Biden has been a vocal critic of the Saudi Arabia. But, as part of his first Middle East visit as the President, Biden will be visiting Saudi after a 3-day stay in Israel. His Middle East visit will focus on asking Saudi to produce more oil, finding a way to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and improving Israel-Palestine relations.
Joe Biden will be arriving in Israel on Wednesday. He will spend two days in Jerusalem, where he will hold talks with Israeli leaders. On Friday, he will be meeting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
Getting ready to welcome @POTUS to Israel tomorrow 🇮🇱🇺🇸#POTUSIsrael2022 pic.twitter.com/f7z52jG23P
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 12, 2022
After that, he will take a flight from Israel to Saudi Arabia capital Jeddah.
Why the visit now?
Talks with India: Biden will also be convening a virtual summit with the leaders of Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates under the I2U2. The I2U2 – comprising India, Israel, the UAE and the US – was established in October 2021 following an initiative by the four countries’ foreign ministers as part of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Israel, reported PTI.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would participate virtually in the meeting.
Bottom line: Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, US needs a large amount of oil supply from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to keep the fuel prices from reaching sky-high levels. Also, to stop Iran from becoming a threat, US need Israel and other Gulf countries to have good relations. These reasons make Biden's Middle East visit an important geopolitical event in the region.