After the White House was compelled to confirm Israeli media rumors that the U.S. president would limit shaking hands on his maiden trip to the Middle East, Vice President Joe Biden gave the Israeli delegation a fist bump when he landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
The White House claimed that an increase in COVID instances, rather than frank contacts with the contentious Saudi crown prince, was what led to the decision to restrict Biden’s handshakes.
Biden offered each of Israel’s leaders a fist bump upon his arrival in Tel Aviv, including President Isaac Herzog, Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett; Bennett received an additional shoulder rub.
Lapid stated during the welcome ceremony that “this is both a very personal and historic visit,” emphasizing the necessity of “renewing a powerful global coalition that will solve the Iranian nuclear problem.”
Biden described visiting the “autonomous Jewish state of Israel” as an honour and referred to the US-Israeli relationship as “deeper and stronger, in my judgment, than it’s ever been.”
In addition to cooperating with Israel on the most advanced defence systems in the world, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the security of the United States and Israel,’ Biden added.
Additionally, he reiterated American support for a two-state solution, but he did acknowledge that it “isn’t in the near future.”
Following Biden’s remarks, the president became more physical with the leaders, shaking Bennett’s hand before briefly holding opposition leader and former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House explained a no handshake policy to Yair’s office on Monday, according to a story in The Jerusalem Post, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases.
After holding two sizable gatherings at the White House on Monday and Tuesday, why wouldn’t Biden be shaking hands?
That question was put to national security adviser Jake Sullivan earlier on Wednesday.
Sullivan told reporters on board Air Force One, “I just believe the easiest way for me to express it is that we’re in a period of the pandemic right now where we’re looking to improve masking and reduce contact to minimize spread.”
The fact that Biden might not want to be seen shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was quickly brought up by reporters on Air Force One.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and a Saudi national who was slain inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018, was a critic of the Saudi government.
MBS, as he is known, was linked by American intelligence services to his assassination.
When questioned explicitly if the handshake rule was intended to preclude a cordial picture session between Biden and MBS, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided giving a direct response.
I wouldn’t say that anything has changed. The reason you’re asking me if he will shake hands or not is because of this.
We’re still planning to attempt to limit contact as much as we can, she said.
But we are taking precautions because his doctor should decide on this, so
In his first trip as president and tenth overall, Biden will arrive in Israel on Wednesday.
He will next go to Saudi Arabia for a highly anticipated meeting with Saudi and regional leaders.
Biden will receive a briefing on Israel’s new Iron Dome and Iron Beam Air Defense Systems when he arrives in the country.
Additionally, he will pay a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and lay a wreath there as a mark of respect.
While on location, Biden will attend a number of meetings with leaders from several countries, including Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Biden’s meeting with Netanyahu, who is no longer in office but still represents the opposition party in the Israeli government, raised concerns.
According to Sullivan, “The president believes it is crucial to demonstrate involvement across the Israeli political spectrum because, like the United States, Israel is a democracy, where people have a range of opinions and leaders who represent those opinions, and he wants to interact with them.”
The president will also meet with US athletes competing in the Maccabiah Games, which attract thousands of Jewish and Israeli athletes from all around the world, and receive Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor.
Biden will reaffirm his support for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine while on the ground.
The two-state solution, which the president believes is the best way to create a democratically viable Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state where Palestinians can live in freedom and dignity, will be made plain, according to Sullivan.
On his four-day trip, Biden will press for a number of agenda items, including strengthening the Yemeni ceasefire, fostering closer ties between Israel and its Muslim neighbors, assisting the Palestinian people, and coordinating efforts to address the Iranian threat.
Israeli officials have expressed concern over Iran’s expanding drone force.
This month, the Israeli military reported that it had stopped four unarmed drones that were heading for an offshore gas rig.
It said that the Lebanese organization Hezbollah, which receives support from Tehran, launched the drones that were produced in Iran.
Israel expects that its newly developed Iron Beam technology will assist in fending off the drone menace.
Despite the fact that it is still not operating, Biden will see a demonstration when he gets to Tel Aviv.
Additionally, Russia is collaborating with Iran to develop drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), for use in Russia’s conflict with the Ukraine, which worries the United States.
The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran the following week.
According to Sullivan, there are “signs of engagement” between Iran and Russia.
Despite the increased engagement “between the two nations on this specific topic of huge numbers of UAVs, especially weapons equipped UAVs, for Russia to buy from Iran,” he claimed that the U.S. has not “seen proof of delivery.”
We believe that this will be of interest, to put it gently, to the nations we will be visiting on this journey since Russia’s strengthening of its collaboration with Iran to kill Ukrainians should be seen as a serious threat by everyone, according to Sullivan.