US President Joe Biden traveled to the Middle East to meet with leaders from Israel and Saudi Arabia at a time when both countries were under fire for failing to find a solution to the deaths and arbitrary arrests of the two journalists.
In an editorial for the Washington Post (WP), Biden justified his visit as part of the US effort to improve relations with the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, and was shaken by the 2018 murder of the same newspaper’s columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. . But the newspaper’s CEO countered with another article criticizing “good intentions.”
Meanwhile, family members of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh Killed in May while covering an attack in the occupied West Bankpublished a letter to the US president requesting a meeting with him because they disagreed with the government’s position on the case. And protesters staged protests for visiting days.
Entities object to Biden’s Middle East trip
Biden (13) landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. From there he goes to Palestine on the 15th and then flies to Jeddah.
Knowing that his first visit to the Middle East would be subject to investigation from all sides, Biden hoped to give American citizens his own perspective on the purpose of the trip.
In an editorial published in the Washington Post (WP) on July 9, he admitted that he knew “most” of them disagreed with his passage through Saudi Arabia:
“My views on human rights are clear and enduring, and fundamental freedoms are always on the agenda when I travel abroad, as on this journey, and they will be on this journey as well. [na passagem] in Israel and the West Bank”.
However, it reinforced the need to “redirect – not cut off relations with a country that has been a strategic partner for 80 years”.
Opinion | Joe Biden article: What I hope to achieve in Saudi Arabia and Israel – The Washington Post https://t.co/EMt9XPlBDz
— US Embassy in Qatar (@USEmbassyDoha) 10 July 2022
Biden’s text sparked backlash from international media outlets and the newspaper that lost Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in his country’s consulate in Turkey four years ago.
On October 2, 2018, Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul to begin the marriage proceedings with the Turkish bride.
According to US and Turkish officials, a Saudi team was waiting for the journalist inside. He would have been strangled and his body dissected for concealment.
The murder sparked international outrage, and Western intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized the killing.
According to AFP, the prince said he accepted Saudi Arabia’s responsibility in the case, but denied any personal connection.
The case dragged on for years, and in April, Turkey’s Supreme Court granted the prosecutor’s request and decided to transfer the case investigating the journalist’s death to Saudi Arabia – where convictions are unlikely for those involved.
Also Read | Murder of journalist Khashoggi in Turkey to be tried in Saudi Arabia, Turkish justice decides
CEO and Publisher The newspaper with which Khashoggi collaborated wrote a scathing editorial in response to the US president’s. For Fred Ryan, Biden’s trip is electoral and could mean the end of Saudi Arabia’s responsibility for the journalist’s death:
“When Biden, while seeking the vote, promised to make Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman an ‘outcast’ for his role in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the world had every reason to think he was serious.
So why is President Biden now on his knees to Jeddah to shake the bloody hand of the ‘outcasts’? He’s still after the vote,” he said.
Ryan points out that the US leader justified his trip as a necessary measure to promote stability in the Middle East and prevent aggression from Russia and China, in addition to trying to lower fuel prices in the country.
“Biden needs the Saudis to increase oil production to help keep global energy prices in check.
The trip sends the message that the United States is willing to look the other way when it comes to business interests.”
Following the texts published in the RP, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also urged Biden to make a commitment to press freedom during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
“This visit to Saudi Arabia may be the last opportunity for Mohammed bin Salman to explain what the United States means when it comes to freedom of the press and to call for long overdue reforms,” said RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire.
RSF urges Joe Biden to firmly and successfully defend the release of 28 journalists arbitrarily detained #Saudi Arabia When he visits the kingdom and meets MBS, who is suspected of ordering the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.https://t.co/01WWYznsWB
— RSF (@RSF_inter) 13 July 2022
The organization recalled that a few weeks after taking office as president, Biden declassified a CIA report on the death of Khashoggi, who accused the Saudi prince.
“We assess that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey,” the document says.
“We urge President Biden to raise, without further ado, the need for MBS to allow the safe passage of Raif Badawi out of the country as an urgent priority, to release the 28 journalists currently imprisoned, and to ensure justice for Jamal Khashoggi,” Deloire said.
Blogger Raif Badawi was arbitrarily detained and released in March after serving a ten-year sentence for “insulting Islam”. Now, the journalist is banned from leaving Saudi Arabia for another ten years, according to RSF.
Also Read | Biden sends a message against intolerance by nominating black and gay immigrant as spokesperson
Family of Palestinian journalist demanded to meet with Biden
Khashoggi’s death is not the only one disrupting Biden’s Middle East border.
Earlier this month, the US government released a report pointing out that the Al Jazeera TV reporter was killed by a bullet opened by Israeli forces, but said it was not possible to determine whether the shooting was intentional.
Having already questioned these results, the family of the journalist requested a meeting with Biden to clarify the points considered in the US State Department’s analysis.
Also Read | Family questioned US report claiming unintentional shooting of Palestinian journalist
Abu Akleh’s brother Anton signed the letter, accusing the White House of favoring the Israeli government by not holding the White House directly responsible for the crime, “to undermine our efforts to hold justice and hold accountable for Shireen’s murder.”
The text states that “the United States is in hiding to eliminate any irregularities by Israeli forces.”
“Your government’s actions can only be seen as an attempt to abolish Shireen’s extrajudicial execution and further strengthen the systemic impunity that Israeli forces and officials benefit from unlawfully killing Palestinians.”
The family also asked Biden to disregard the State Department report and appoint the FBI and other agencies in the country to investigate the case.
This morning, our family felt this letter. @POTUS He requests that he meet with us during his visit to the region. We deserve responsibility. #JusticeForShireen pic.twitter.com/BfBHUhkOXB
— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh) 8 July 2022
Lina Abu Akleh, the journalist’s niece, said in an interview with The Guardian that the family had not received a response from the US government to requests to meet with Biden.
“The US is clearly trying to bury the case,” he said. And added:
“If Shireen had been killed in Ukraine, I am 100% sure the reaction would have been completely different. There would be action from day one. There would be responsibility. There would be a transparent and independent investigation. And there would be justice.”
Shireen Abu Akleh was one of the most recognizable faces in the Palestinian media, and her death caused a stir in the region. There were even protests and clashes with the Israeli police at his funeral, which was attended by thousands of Palestinians.
Biden’s visit sparked demonstrations in Israel, where he passed through Jerusalem for the first time. Posters and banners stamped the Al Jazeera journalist’s face on the streets and demanded justice.
Shortly before Biden’s visit to Bethlehem, a Palestinian journalist removes a photo of Shireen Abu Akleh across the Church of the Nativity. pic.twitter.com/dxGIRUVkhZ
— V PALESTINE ???????? (@V_Palestine20) 14 July 2022
In Belém, activists also spread posters with the words: “Mr. Mr. President, this is racism,” he says, referring to the violence suffered by Palestinians living in that region, which is one of the areas occupied by Israel.
to see #Bethlehemin front of #bidenvisit.#BidenVisitIsraelDenied pic.twitter.com/kIcaQiOmJ1
— Liberation for Palestine???????? (@SeekingFreedo15) 13 July 2022
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