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U.S. President Joe Biden made a much-anticipated two-day visit to Israel this week which was dominated by growing fears over a nuclear Iran and efforts to strengthen and expand Israel’s relationships with its regional neighbours, in particular Saudi Arabia.
Making his tenth visit to the country – his first as President – President Biden repeatedly emphasised the close bonds between the two countries and revealed a new U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership known as the Jerusalem Declaration. The Declaration enshrines the reaffirmation of a “bedrock of shared values, shared interests, and true friendship”.
Against the backdrop of Iran’s accelerating nuclear programme, the Jerusalem Declaration features a U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and “maintenance of its qualitative military edge” and to “strengthen Israel’s capability to deter its enemies and to defend itself by itself against any threat”.
Thanking the U.S. President for his decision not to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the U.S. list of terror organisations, Prime Minister Lapid asserted that “the only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear programme the free world will use force”. He added: “The Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world, they will pay a heavy price”.
President Biden reiterated his support for continued diplomatic efforts with Iran, while also stressing that the U.S. remains “committed to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon” and the U.S. is “prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome”.
The President was presented with new intelligence showing Iran’s development of new weapons systems which are being proliferated to their regional terror group proxies. He was also given a presentation of Israel’s defence systems by Defence Minister Benny Gantz, including the new high-powered ‘Iron Beam’ laser anti-missile system.
The trip was used an opportunity to build on the landmark Abraham Accords and strengthen Israel’s ties with regional neighbours, including Saudi Arabia. President Biden hailed Saudi Arabia for lifting restrictions on all air carriers using Saudi airspace and although he did not name Israel specifically, the statement has been wildly acknowledged as being related to Israel. Allowing Israeli carriers to use Saudi airspace has been a key goal in encouraging normalisation between the two countries and Biden became the first U.S. President to fly to Saudi Arabia directly from Israel. Prime Minister Lapid heralded the historic flight as the “first official step” in a larger diplomatic process to normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel. U.S National Security Director, Jake Sullivan has spoken of the Biden Administration’s goal for a “more integrated, more globally engaged Middle East”.
In another significant move, Israel has formally approved an agreement between the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the ownership of two strategically significant islands, Tiran and Sanafir.
President Biden and Prime Minister Lapid met virtually with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting took place under the banner of the U.S. devised I2U2 forum, a new partnership which brings together the US, Israel, the UAE, and India, to expand economic cooperation for the benefit of the region and to jointly tackle food security and promote advances in waste treatment and green technology. The meeting saw the announcement of several large-scale projects, including a $2 billion food corridor between India and the UAE utilising Israeli technology and a $300 million 300-megawatt wind and solar energy storage project in India using technology from the other three countries. The joint statement said: “We must harness the vibrancy of our societies and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting the world”.
Biden also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, during which he called for a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines and committed to efforts to strengthen the Palestinian economy and improve the quality of life for Palestinians. Biden said that the “ground is not ripe at this moment to restart peace negotiations” but did state that the recent success in normalising ties between Israel and other countries in the region can be used as a catalyst to restart the peace process. During the meeting President Abbas told Biden he wants “the U.S. consulate to be reopened in East Jerusalem” and demanded the U.S. remove the PLO from its terror list. He added: “I take this opportunity to say I extend my hand to the leaders of Israel to make peace”, which he says must be on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative.
The visit was also expected to include the announcement of 4G cellular networks being introduced in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel is also reported to be considering allowing West Bank Palestinians to travel abroad via the Ramon International Airport near Eilat.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Biden, have also signed a joint declaration to extend a $38 billion defence package provided to ensure the security of Israel. The original funds were allocated in the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding signed by President Obama, with the new declaration extending the package further than the original timeframe of only ten years.
