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US President Joe Biden

Joe Biden (Joseph Robin Biden) is an American politician. Joe Biden was born on November 20, 1942. Next month he will embark on his first tour of the Middle East, during which he will visit Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, the Associated Press reported. press, citing information from the White House.

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The decision to meet with Saudi leaders during the trip, which will take place from July 13 to 16, comes despite the fact that while he was a US presidential candidate, Biden denounced the kingdom as a "pariah" over its human rights record and vowed to refocus relations between the two countries.

Biden will travel directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia, and this will be the first time the US president has flown directly from Israel to an Arab country that does not recognize the Jewish state, AFP reported.

According to a senior US government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Biden intends to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who de facto rules the kingdom.

U.S. intelligence officials have found that Prince Mohammed most likely ordered the brutal assassination of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Hashoghi in 2018.

After Biden took office, his administration made it clear that the president would avoid direct contact with the heir to the throne and would instead communicate with King Salman.

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Human rights activists and some Democratic allies have warned Biden not to visit the oil-rich kingdom, saying the visit would send a message to Saudi leaders that there would be no consequences. gross violations in this direction.

Saudis have been accused of resorting to mass arrests, executions and violence to quell differences.

But at a time when fuel prices are skyrocketing, fears of Iran's nuclear program are growing and worries remain that China is expanding its global influence, Biden and his national security team have found that neglecting the Saudis, and especially the heir to the throne, is simply not in the interests of the United States, the AP reported, citing BTA.

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Joe Biden

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