#Bidens #fist #bump #Saudi #crown #prince #undermining #legal #promises
It took less than 24 hours for US President Joe Biden to besmirch in Saudi Arabia an image he had long cultivated: that of a fierce defender of human rights.
Every politician’s life is littered with campaign promises that ultimately backfire, and for Biden that list now includes his 2019 vow to make the desert kingdom a “pariah” for its human rights record.
Similarly, his solemn description of Washington’s role on the global stage, delivered on US Independence Day last year: “We stand as a beacon to the world.”
It was difficult for many to reconcile those words with the most haunting image of Biden’s first visit to the Middle East as president: his fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US intelligence officials believe the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, “authorized” the 2018 operation that led to the killing and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The picture of the fist, taken outside a palace in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, was immediately shared by official Saudi news outlets before circulating on social media.
It eventually made the front page of The Washington Post, where Khashoggi served as a columnist.
– “Shameful” –
Prior to Biden’s arrival in Jeddah, the White House took several measures to try to mitigate the backlash of an encounter it knew was coming.
Biden published a column in the Post explaining his reasons for the trip and saying he wants to “strengthen a strategic partnership,” while insisting that “fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when I travel abroad.”
At the start of the tour, which took him to Jerusalem and Bethlehem before Jeddah, his communications team said Biden would limit physical contact with those he met, citing concerns about the coronavirus.
Some journalists immediately speculated that the measures – which Biden eventually did not fully comply with – were motivated less by public health and more by fears of an awkward photo op with Prince Mohammed, often referred to by his initials MBS.
In the end, the first bump in Jeddah was “worse than a handshake — it was shameful,” Post CEO Fred Ryan said in a statement.
“It projected a level of intimacy and comfort that offers MBS the unjustified redemption he’s been desperate for.”
The traveling press corps was not present at the scene. When they reached the palace in Jeddah, the two leaders had already entered.
But soon the “fist bump” was inevitable, being broadcast in a seemingly constant loop by state media and Saudi government social media accounts.
White House-accredited journalists faced further restrictions as Biden held his meetings with Saudi leaders.
They were only allowed in briefly for a meeting between the US and Saudi government delegations, and they were held at a distance from the negotiating table.
Brief statements from Biden and Prince Mohammed were rendered inaudible as boom mics were not allowed.
– “Autocrats Smile” –
After his meetings with Saudi royals ended Friday night, the White House hastily arranged for Biden to make brief remarks and answer a few questions.
Biden told journalists he raised the Khashoggi case “at the forefront” of his meeting with Prince Mohammed, adding that he made it clear “what I thought about it then and what I think about it now.”
On Saturday, Biden told leaders from nine Arab nations gathered at a summit that “the future will be won by countries that unleash the full potential of their people … where citizens can question and criticize leaders without fear of reprisal.”
But the fist bump had already become the decisive blow of the tour.
Earlier in Israel, Biden explained his decision to go to Saudi Arabia, apparently alluding to the political compromise it represented.
“My views on Khashoggi were absolutely clear and I never stopped speaking about human rights,” he said at a news conference.
Human rights aside, Biden said the trip was meant to “advance US interests,” a likely reference to the need to push for higher oil production from the world’s largest crude exporter as rising gas prices weigh on his party’s prospects ahead of mid-November . office elections.
Back home in the US, Biden received no sympathy from human rights activists.
“The world’s autocrats are smiling,” Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter.
“Biden’s support for human rights can be sold for a little oil.”
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