President Biden’s whirlwind visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia will be filled with expressions of friendship, but behind the scenes, it will not be a picnic for this president who is hoping to shore up his plummeting approval ratings. What are the issues and what can we expect to be the results?
Here to discuss is the former Mayor of Shiloh, David Rubin, who is also the author of seven books and founder of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund.
Q&A:
- What is the purpose of Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia? Answer: Biden desperately needs two things: foreign policy accomplishments and Saudi oil.
- Will he succeed in achieving either of those goals? Answer: Let’s take them one at a time. In Israel, he wants to show warm, friendly relations with the new liberal Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who, I should point out, is a lame-duck prime minister, while behind the scenes pressuring Lapid to give up Israeli sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem.
- What does that mean in practice? Answer: Biden has stated his intent to establish a Palestinian embassy in Jerusalem for a country that doesn’t exist. To do so, he needs the approval of Israel, because Jerusalem, all of Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and to build another US embassy in Jerusalem, for an enemy of Israel no less, would be a violation of the law.
- Are there any other issues of tension, and are there areas of agreement? Answer: Biden can also be expected, at least privately, to demand an Israeli halt to what he calls “settlement building”, which basically means the right of Jews to build and expand homes or apartments. This is outrageous, but fortunately, as a caretaker prime minister, Lapid can only give lip service to Biden’s demands. As for potential topics of agreement, the Iran issue will likely be an area with some agreement, but that is only because Biden’s next stop is Saudi Arabia and the Saudis will be pushing for a solid wall against the Iranian nuclear bomb program. They are very concerned and want to end American negotiations with Iran.
- Will Biden get what he desperately needs on the economic front, which is massive oil sales from the Saudis to the United States to ease the gasoline crisis? Answer: Biden badly burned his bridges with the Saudi crown prince a couple of years ago. Now he is returning to him with his tail between his legs, which is certainly an embarrassment for an American president. The Saudis are going to be devouring him, making many demands, and perhaps will also demand some form of a public apology. I would love to be a fly on the walls of the palace. One thing is for sure, Biden will not be a happy camper and may even come out of the meeting in a state of greater confusion.
BIO: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of seven books, including Confronting Radicals: What America Can Learn from Israel and Trump and the Jews. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack.
Websites: www.DavidRubinIsrael.com (to find out more about David’s many books) or www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org (treating the victims of terror).
MEDIA CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin 919-437-0001 jerry@specialguests.com
