WASHINGTON (Middle East Eye) – U.S. President Joe Biden says the Zionist regime’s security is behind a possible visit to Saudi Arabia, denying any trip would be to try to lower gasoline prices in the United States.
The president will travel to Saudi Arabia and the occupied territories next month and the White House is planning to announce the trip this week, a source familiar with the planning told Reuters on Sunday.
The visit, which is expected to take place around mid-July, could include a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the source said.
“The commitments from the Saudis don’t relate to anything having to do with energy,” Biden said outside Air Force One on Sunday.
“It happens to be a larger meeting taking place in Saudi Arabia. That’s the reason I’m going. And it has to do with security for them - for Israelis.
“I have a program, anyway. It has to do with much larger issues than having to do with the energy price.”
When Biden’s visit was still expected to take place at the end of June, it was reported that the trip would include a summit of Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, as well as Saudi Arabia. The summit would follow bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening military ties between the occupying regime and the Arab countries, with the Pentagon’s involvement.
A meeting with MBS would mark a stark contrast to Biden’s comments as a presidential candidate prior to being elected in 2020, when he denounced Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” state over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Last week, several top U.S. lawmakers signed a letter urging Biden to rework Washington’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.