Biden says US would use force as ‘last resort’ to prevent Iranian nuclear weapons
Joe Biden has landed in Jeddah after making a historic flight as the first US president to fly direct from Israel to Saudi Arabia.
The visit includes a highly-anticipated meeting with the Saudi king and crown prince and comes amid tensions over energy supply, civil liberties, and security cooperation. Rep Ilhan Omar says the trip “sends the wrong message to everyone who cares about human rights”.
The trip is designed to reset the US’ relationship with a country he once pledged to make a “pariah” on the world stage. Ahead of the visit, Israel and Saudi Arabia took an important step towards normalising relations with an agreement on flights and Red Sea islands.
Before flying to Jeddah, the president attempted to repair ties with Palestinians as he reaffirmed US support for “two states for two peoples”. However, he acknowledged that the “ground is not ripe” to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Mr Biden also announced just over $300m in aid to the Palestinians and commitments from Israel to roll out 4G in the West Bank and improve freedom of movement.
After meeting Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, Mr Biden also visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
