Joe Biden makes light of controversial Saudi fist bump
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- Joe Biden says they way he greeted the Saudi Arabian prince isn’t important.
- The president bumped fists with Mohamed bin Salmán.
- The United States accuses MBS of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
On Sunday, US president Joe Biden, said that his controversial fist bump with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salmán, whom the United States accuses of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is not important, according to Infobae and the AP.
This is what he told reporters upon arrival at the White House after his tour of the Middle East, when the press asked him if he regretted the fist bumP with bin Salmán at the beginning of a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “Why don’t you guys talk about something that matters? I’m happy to answer a question that matters,” said the Democratic leader.
WHAT BOTHERED HIM?
The dominant image of the trip was the fist bump between the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and Bin Salmán. During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden promised that he would treat Saudi Arabia as a «pariah» on the international scene and would make its leaders pay for Khashoggi’s death.
Despite the need to repair relations, especially over oil, Biden did bring up Khashoggi’s murder during his face-to-face meeting with Bin Salmán and tried to make it clear that the United States will always advocate for human rights, even if sometimes it has to defend its interests as well.
WHY WAS THE FIST BUMP SO CONTROVERSIAL?
“To be silent on human rights for an American president is something that is inconsistent with who we are and who I am. I’ll always defend our values,” Biden responded to criticism after meeting with Bin Salmán. But his response was due to the uproar it caused in the media.
On Friday, the Publisher and CEO of the Washington Post called it «regrettable» that US President Joe Biden bumped fists with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Fred Ryan said in a statement that the informal greeting with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader «was worse than a handshake.» Filed Under: Joe Biden hail prince
WHAT ARE THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES SAYING?
US intelligence agencies have said they believe the crown prince gave the order that resulted in the brutal murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a columnist for the Washington Post. Ryan added that the fist bump «projected a level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking.»
Biden, as a presidential candidate, had vowed to make the kingdom a «pariah» in response to the murder, but began trying to rebuild ties as global energy prices soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Filed Under: Joe Biden hail prince
WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT?
President Joe Biden, in a speech to a summit of Arab leaders, declared Saturday that the United States «will not walk away» from the Middle East, as he tries to ensure stability in a volatile corner of the planet and boost the global flow of oil to reverse the rise in gasoline prices.
His remarks, made at the Gulf Cooperation Council on the final leg of a four-day tour of the region, came amid concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its support for extremists in the region. «We will not walk away or leave a vacuum for China, Russia or Iran to fill,» Biden said. “We will seek to cement this moment with active and principled American leadership.” Filed Under: Joe Biden hail prince
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