Caroline Glick
Ahead of US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, the president published an op-ed in The Washington Post, in which he placed his trip in the context of his overall Middle East policy. A few days later, Israel’s opposition leader, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made a brief statement on Biden’s then upcoming visit that spoke directly to the claims Biden made in his article. Taken together, the two communications explain why Biden’s visit was a failure before it even began—and what a successful policy looks like.
Biden’s article, “Why I’m going to Saudi Arabia,” was a political communication to his party’s progressive base. It served a twofold purpose. First, it was an apology to progressives, who are hostile to both Saudi Arabia and Israel. Second, Biden assured progressives that he was not changing course. His Middle East policy to date will remain his policy going forward.
That policy has three major pillars:
- Hostility towards Saudi Arabia and particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS);
- Financial, nuclear and strategic appeasement of Iran; and
- Support for the Palestinians, at Israel’s expense.
Biden insisted in his op-ed that he remains true to these positions, but as president also has Russia and China to keep at bay.
Biden’s policy of supporting the PLO at Israel’s expense failed 22 years ago, when the Palestinians rejected the so-called two state solution at the Camp David peace summit. And it has continued to fail ever since. All the same, Biden slavishly maintains it, to placate the Israel-bashing progressive base of the Democrat Party.
In contrast, Biden’s policies towards Saudi Arabia and Iran are failing now for the first time. The implications of their failures for the United States, for US allies and for regional stability and security are catastrophic. And yet, Biden pledged in his article to stay the course.
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