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| (Photo: reuters) |
US President Joe Biden has said that he has expressed his concerns regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Joe Biden is currently in Saudi Arabia to restore bilateral ties, although he previously gave a clear message as a presidential candidate vowing to 'cut ties' with Saudi Arabia due to its poor human rights record.
President Biden said that in his meeting with the Saudi crown prince, he made it clear that the assassination in 2018 was "of great importance to me and to the United States."
However, he also said that there has been an agreement between the two countries on other issues. President Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia was seen as an endorsement of the Saudi government after the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was accused by US intelligence agencies of approving the murder.
The Saudi crown prince has always denied the allegations, and Saudi lawyers blamed Saudi secret agents for 'violating state policy'.
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President Biden said in a press briefing after the meeting on Friday, "As far as the murder of Khashoggi, I talked about it at the beginning of the meeting and made it clear what I did about it at that time." I used to think, and what do I think now.'
"I made it very clear that it is against our values for an American president to remain silent on the issue of human rights." I will always stand for my values.
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Biden said the Saudi crown prince claimed he was not "personally involved" in the killing. The president said he replied, 'I think you were involved.'
Prior to the meeting, President Biden and the Crown Prince were photographed shaking fists and shaking hands, indicating an apparently improving relationship between the two countries.
However, Khashoggi's fiancee Khadija Chingiz criticized President Biden. Sharing the photo of the two leaders, he wrote that if my fiancee was alive, he would have said, 'Is this the accountability you promised after my murder? The blood of Mohammed bin Salman's next victim is on your hands.
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What did Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman say about Khashoggi's murder?
During the meeting with Biden, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that what happened to Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi was 'tragic'.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia has followed all legal procedures in the Khashoggi case, from the investigation to the trial and execution of the sentence. He also said that his country has made rules and regulations that prevent such mistakes from happening in the future.
During the meeting with President Biden, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that such incidents can happen anywhere in the world. He said that when Khashoggi was killed in 2018, journalists were killed in many countries in the same year.
According to al-Arabiya, an official said that the crown prince gave the example of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and others and said that mistakes have also been made by the United States. During the meeting with Biden, the Saudi crown prince also referred to the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqila and asked what the United States and other countries have done in this regard.
"Thousands of lives will be saved due to the US President's visit"
Meanwhile, Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Rhine said that the fist shake between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was more embarrassing than a handshake. This reflects the bitter feelings between the two, giving Mohammed bin Salman the unnecessary reprieve he has been waiting for for so long.
Remember that Khashoggi was a columnist for the Washington Post.
In addition to Khashoggi's murder, President Biden said that he and his Saudi counterpart also discussed energy issues and that he hoped Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, would take "further steps" in this regard. Global markets could stabilize in the coming weeks.
Defending President Biden's visit, American Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman told that Saudi Arabia's increase in oil supply to the world market would save lives.
He said that an increase in oil prices means that people in poor countries will die because of it. This increases the prices of food and fertilizers and threatens to kill thousands of people, not only from hunger but also from diseases that afflict the malnourished.
He said, "It is very easy for Khashoggi's fiancee to say not to worry about the thousands of people who may die, but to avenge the death of my fiancee." You have to be sensible about it.
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President Biden also announced that Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to Israel, which was previously closed.
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| Relations between Washington and the Palestinians continue to improve (photo: reuters) |
President Biden's sweet words for the Palestinians, but the differences remain in place
Earlier, US President Joe Biden expressed sympathy for the Palestinians in Bethlehem in his recent visit but there were no signs of any political progress for peace in the region.
President Joe Biden's meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority lasted longer than scheduled. He reiterated the idea of an independent Palestinian state but said that the environment was not yet conducive to start peace talks.
Abbas said that there may not be room for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
America's relations with Palestine have deteriorated during the Trump administration. The Biden administration is trying to mend those relations and has even restored some funding for the Palestinians.
Several financial incentives including 4G phone service were announced before President Biden's visit. President Biden began his visit to the Palestinian Territories with a visit to the Augusta Victoria Hospital on Mount Olivet. Mount Olivet is a part of occupied Jerusalem that no sitting US president has ever visited before.
Washington is giving $100 million to support a Palestinian hospital that is the only cancer treatment center for Gaza residents.
These steps have symbolic significance. Former US President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
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It took President Biden 15 minutes to arrive in Bethlehem in a long convoy of black cars, passing through Israeli checkpoints. Meanwhile, they also passed by the portrait of American Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqila on a 26 feet high wall.
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| During President Biden's visit, large photographs of Shireen Abu Aqila, possibly killed by Israeli soldiers, were displayed. (Photo: reuters) |
After meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, President Biden said in a sympathetic manner that the people living in the occupied territories face daily "humiliations" and the Palestinian people are suffering.
It was clear, however, that President Joe Biden had nothing but kind words for the Palestinians and that differences remained.
President Biden's visit to the Middle East shows that he is seeking to strengthen Israel's new alliances with Arab countries, promote regional integration and strengthen military partnerships to counter Iran.
Palestinians believe that America has betrayed their cause. 20 years ago, the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia offered to recognize Israel in exchange for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
There have also been protests during President Biden's visit, where protesters said that America is not a true peacemaker.
Jude Salehi said in Ramallah: "They are here for one purpose only, to help the Israelis."
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