The White House had confirmed the rumors on Tuesday that President Joe Biden would be traveling to Saudi Arabia in July despite his previous criticism of the human rights record of Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince.
He is to begin this trip in Isreal on the 13th of July. He is expected to meet with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and reinforce his support for a two-state solution there. He would then move from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council along with leaders from Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan.
The White House focused the purpose of this trip on finding a solution to the increasing gas prices in the United States. They noted that Biden would follow through on core elements of his foreign policy agenda and is also not sacrificing any previous pledge during his campaign.
The Saudi government however highlighted the trip as a move to “deepen and strengthen the existing areas of cooperation, and lay the foundations for the future of this strategic partnership,”
This visit to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has stirred up a lot of emotions from the members of Congress. Both parties have shown surprise and anger over Biden’s consideration to have a meeting with the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman.
Biden is expected to request Saudi Arabia to increase its production rate to help reduce the price of oil and satisfy American consumers. The President’s Allies have also queried the efficiency of Saudi Arabia to address the increasing global energy prices.
