On his first leg of his tour in the Middle East, US President Joe Biden promised Israel to deepen its integration in the region by expanding peace agreements and security cooperation frameworks. At the same time, he underlined the importance of the two-state solution and the need for “more peace.”
Biden was welcomed at Ben Gurion Airport by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and most members of the government. Upon his arrival, he delivered a speech in which he stressed that relations with Israel were “deeper and stronger than ever.”
“Greater peace. Greater stability. Greater connection. It’s critical. It’s critical, if I might add, for all the people of the region, which is why we’ll discuss my continued support — even though I know it’s not in the near-term — a two-state solution. That remains, in my view, the best way to ensure the future of equal measure of freedom, prosperity, and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the US president said, according to the official remarks published by the White House.
Biden also pledged to push forward Israel’s integration in the region, saying: “We’ll continue to advance Israel’s integration into the region; expand emerging forums and engagement — like the new I2U2 Summit, which will bring Israel, the United States, the UAE together, and India as well — to deepen economic cooperation between the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.”
“We’re going to deepen our connections in science and innovation and work to address global challenges through the new Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology,” the US president underlined.
For his part, the Israeli president welcomed Biden, describing him as a “true friend and persistent supporter of the State of Israel and the people of Israel...”
“Today, winds of peace are blowing from North Africa across the Mediterranean to the Gulf,” he stated.
Lapid delivered a speech in which he said that the visit was “historic, because it expresses the unbreakable bond between our two countries. Our commitment to shared values: democracy, freedom, and the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own.”
He continued: “During your visit, we will discuss matters of national security. We will discuss building a new security and economy architecture with the nations of the Middle East, following the Abraham Accords and the achievements of the Negev Summit. And we will discuss the need to renew a strong global coalition that will stop the Iranian nuclear program.”
Following the warm welcome, Biden visited Israel’s advanced missile-defense systems, as Israel had prepared the display at its main international airport, showing off a multilayered system and the new “Light Shield”.
The United States and Israel plan to issue a joint statement, called the Jerusalem Declaration, which is supposed to serve as a road map for relations between the two countries in the coming years, and includes American security commitments to Israel and a repeated affirmation of the inseparable strategic relations.
According to leaks, the announcement will include a hard US-Israeli stance against Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb, and the two countries’ guarantee to use all elements of national power and influence to confront Iran’s nuclear threats. It also includes the commitment of the United States to maintain and enhance Israel’s military capabilities to deter and defend itself against any threat.
Biden is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the Israeli prime minister, and will then participate in the first meeting of the leaders of the West Asian Group I2U2, which includes the leaders of Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates, an entity similar to the security alliance that Biden established in the Indo-Pacific with Britain and Australia (AUKUS) that will allow greater sharing of defense capabilities.
Biden is also scheduled to visit on Friday Augusta Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. It is one of six hospitals in East Jerusalem that care for residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza and are funded by the United Nations. The American side rejected an Israeli request to include an Israeli official in the visit.
Biden will deliver statements about US aid and the development of the East Jerusalem hospital network, and will announce funding for Palestinian hospitals and economic aid to the Palestinian Authority. He will also reiterate his support for the two-state solution.
The US president will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem in the West Bank, where the two officials will deliver a joint statement. Officials noted that Abbas would stress that the Palestinian leadership would have no choice but to implement the decisions of the Palestine Liberation Organization, stop security coordination, and cancel all agreements signed with Israel in the absence of a political horizon.
