Biden Went to the Middle East to Solve US Economic Problems, Not Bring Peace, Expert Says

There has been a lot of controversy around US President Joe Biden's visit to Middle East, and particularly to Saudi Arabia - the state Biden pledged to make "a pariah".

When describing his Middle East trip goals in a Washington Post op-ed, US President Joe Biden said he was embarking on a journey to conduct diplomacy and work in order to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab world, particularly by making sure that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process continues.

However, many critics begged to differ, mainly because of the background behind his first presidential trip to the Middle East. Biden's trip came amid severe economic hardships at home, which a handful of other Western countries are facing as well. With energy prices soaring, one of the main objectives of the US president was to persuade Saudi Arabia to boost oil production in the hopes of curbing prices.

It brought little results, as Riyadh made it clear it could only boost production from 10 to 13 million barrels per day and no more. On top of that, it created an impression among some observers that Biden, in fact, only came to Middle East because he was compelled to sort out US economic grievances, rather than to promote peace and prosperity.

With respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden and the Saudi Arabian leadership reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution "along the 1967 lines". However, the US president asserted that the "ground is not ripe" to restart the talks between the two sides, and neither he demanded a settlement freeze from Israeli PM Yair Lapid when the two met in Jerusalem.

As put by Waleed al-Modallal, professor of political science at Gaza’s Islamic University, it's nothing but "repeated slogans" that are not in fact aimed at resolving the long-standing issue.

"I don't think the American side will practice any sort of pressure on the Israeli side, and everybody knows that," Al-Modallal says. "I think this visit is not to refresh the negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. [...] It comes to solve the economic problem of Americans. That's all."

The professor pointed out that in reality, there is no political will in Israel to go back to the two-state solution negotiations. Moreover, he continued, there is "no chance" for such a solution, as the majority of the land that the Palestinians consider theirs is occupied by Israeli settlers.

The words of Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas about how this might have been one of "the last chances" for a two-state solution, are essentially a mantra that he has been repeating for a long time, Al-Modallal argues.

"It's repeated words from the American president and from the Palestinian president as well," he says, saying that the so-called "regional solution" is being shifted to the responsibility of Arabs, "and Israel would not pay any price regarding the land, regarding the Palestinians' protection or any other things."

Despite the US' declared position on Palestinians and funds that are coming from Washington to support them, the Biden administration still fails to "touch the core of the issue", which is "political, not economic or humanitarian," Al-Modallal explains.

"It's the easiest solution for Americans to give such gifts," he says.

With little hope for Washington to actually do something meaningful regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it seems that few Palestinians are taking Biden and his visit, particularly his meeting with Abbas, seriously.

"[This] visit comes to support Israelis and the normalization in the region as well as to solve the problem of power, which touches the American and international economy. That's it. It's not to renew or re-enhance Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. We all know that," the professor concludes.