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up front Monday 11 July 2022
In Mideast, Biden struggling to shift policy after Trump

By AAMER MADHANI and find greater equilibrium in In public, he has talked of
DARLENE SUPERVILLE his Mideast policy, putting insights gained from long
Associated Press focus on what's possible in hours over the years spent
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe a complicated part of the with China's Xi Jinping and
Biden took office looking to world at a time when Israel sizing up Russia's Vladimir
reshape U.S. foreign policy and some Arab nations are Putin. He's relished building
in the Middle East, putting showing greater willingness bonds with a younger gen-
a premium on promoting to work together to isolate eration of world leaders
democracy and human Iran — their common ene- including Canadian Prime
rights. In reality, he has my — and to consider eco- Minister Justin Trudeau and
struggled on several fronts nomic cooperation. Japan's Fumio Kishida
to meaningfully separate "Biden is coming in, in es- Biden has met every Israeli
his approach from former sence making a choice," prime minister dating back
President Donald Trump's. Sachs said. "And the choice to Golda Meir, has a long-
Biden's visit to the region is to embrace the emerg- standing relationship with
this week includes a meet- ing regional architecture." Jordan's King Abdullah II Saudi special forces salute in front of a screen displaying images
ing with Saudi Arabia's King Biden on Saturday used an and was deeply involved Saudi King Salman, right, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman and Crown Prince op-ed in the Washington as vice president in helping Salman after a military parade in preparation for the annual Hajj
Mohammed bin Salman, Post — the same pages President Barack Obama pilgrimage, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July
the oil-rich kingdom's de where Khashoggi penned wind down the Iraq War. 3, 2022.
facto leader who U.S. intelli- much of his criticism of Sau- But Biden, who came of Associated Press
gence officials determined di rule before his death — age on the foreign policy He arrives at an uncertain Akleh. Independent inves-
approved the 2018 killing of to declare that the Middle scene during the Cold War moment for Israeli leader- tigations determined that
U.S.-based journalist Jamal East has become more "sta- and sees the rise of China ship. Former Prime Minister she was likely shot by an Is-
Khashoggi in Turkey. ble and secure" in his nearly as the most pressing crisis Naftali Bennett and Yair La- raeli soldier while reporting
Biden had pledged as a 18 months in office and he facing the West, has been pid last month dissolved the from the West Bank in May.
candidate to recalibrate pushed back against the less oriented toward the Knesset as their politically The Abu Akleh family, in a
the U.S. relationship with notion that his visit to Saudi Middle East than Europe diverse coalition crumbled. scathing letter to Biden, ac-
Saudi Arabia, which he de- Arabia amounted to back- and Asia. Lapid, the former foreign cused his administration of
scribed as a "pariah" nation sliding. "In Saudi Arabia, we "He doesn't have the per- minister, is now the care- excusing the Israelis for the
after Trump's more accom- reversed the blank-check sonal relationships. He taker prime minister. journalist's death. The State
modating stand, overlook- policy we inherited," Biden doesn't have the duration Biden also will face fresh Department last week said
ing the kingdom's human wrote. He also acknowl- of relationships," said Jon questions about his com- U.S. security officials deter-
rights record and stepping edged "there are many Alterman, director of the mitment to human rights mined that Israeli gunfire
up military sales to Riyadh. who disagree" with his de- Middle East Program at the following the fatal shoot- likely killed her but "found
But Biden now seems to cision to visit the kingdom. Center for Strategic and In- ing of Palestinian Ameri- no reason to believe that
be making the calcula- He pointed to his admin- ternational Studies. can journalist Shireen Abu this was intentional."q
tion that there's more to be istration's efforts to push
gained from courting the a Saudi-led coalition and
country than isolating it. Houthis to agree to a U.N.-
Biden's first stop on his visit brokered cease-fire — now
to the Mideast will be Isra- in its fourth month — after
el. Here, again, his stance seven years of a war that
has softened since the has left 150,000 people
firm declarations he made dead in Yemen. Biden also
when running for president. cited as achievements
As a candidate, Biden con- his administration's role in
demned Trump administra- helping arrange a truce in
tion policy on Israeli settle- last year's 11-day Israel-Ga-
ments in the West Bank. As za war, the diminished ca-
president, he's been un- pacity of the Islamic State
able to pressure the Israelis terrorist group in the region
to halt the building of Jew- and ending the U.S. com-
ish settlements and has of- bat mission in Iraq.
fered no new initiatives to But Biden's overall Mideast
restart long-stalled peace record is far more com-
talks between Israel and plicated. He has largely
the Palestinians. steered away from con-
The Biden administration fronting some of the re-
"has had this rather confus- gion's most vexing prob-
ing policy of continuity on lems, including some that
many issues from Trump — he faulted Trump for exac-
the path of least resistance erbating.
on many different issues, Biden often talks about the
including Jerusalem, the importance of relationships
Golan, Western Sahara, in foreign policy. His deci-
and most other affairs," sion to visit the Mideast for
says Natan Sachs, director a trip that promises little in
of the Center for Middle the way of tangible ac-
East Policy at the Brook- complishments suggests
ings Institution. Now Biden he's trying to invest in the
appears to be trying to region for the longer term.