Joe Biden leaves the Middle East, where he tried to reassert American influence

The President of the United States has visited Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia, where he has been accused of denying himself for a few barrels of oil.

 

The end of a three-day diplomatic visit to the Middle East. The American president, Joe Biden, left Saudi Arabia on Saturday 16 July, after a very controversial visit during which he tried to reassert the influence of the United States in the region.

 

The tenant of the White House, who began Wednesday his tour of the Middle East by visiting Israel and Palestine, spent less than 24 hours in Saudi Arabia. He met with several heads of state and officials in the region, including King Salmane and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmane.

 

In a speech delivered in Jeddah, Joe Biden promised that the United States  will not turn away from the Middle East by leaving a vacuum that could be filled by China, Russia or Iran. He told an audience of Arab leaders that his country was "investing to build a better future in the region.

 

The American president was criticized for his visit to the Gulf monarchy, which is accused of serious human rights violations. He said that "the future belongs to those countries (...) whose citizens can question and criticize their leaders without fear of reprisal.

 

However, the trip remains marked by the image of a president exchanging a  fist check with Mohammed bin Salmane, accused by U.S. intelligence of being the mastermind of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Joe Biden had moreover promised to make Saudi Arabia a pariah.

 

The American president said on Friday that he had raised the matter at the  very beginning of his meeting with the crown prince, claiming to have been as clear as day. But activists have accused Joe Biden of denying himself for a few barrels of oil, at a time when the rise in the price of gasoline is a major issue in the United States.