Saudi Crown Prince’s purges leave Joe Biden with few friends

Ahead of his arrival Saudi Arabia lifted restrictions on ‘all carriers using its airspace’, a gesture of openness towards Israel.

Joe Biden at the opening ceremony of the Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, left, and Yair Lapid on Thursday night. Picture: AFP

US President Joe Biden was to ­arrive in Saudi Arabia overnight on Friday to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite promising to make the kingdom a pariah.

However, some of America’s closest friends will not be there. The kingdom has failed to release the former crown prince, ­Mohammed bin Nayef, who was honoured by Donald Trump for his co-operation in the fight against al-Qa’ida.

Other leaders are under arrest, including the king’s brother, Prince Ahmed. Still more are in exile, such as Major-General Saad al-Jabri, the head of Prince bin Nayef’s security operation. General Jabri tipped off MI6 in 2010 about bombs hidden in computer printers and loaded on to jets in Yemen via FedEx.

Before boarding Air Force One for the first flight from Israel to Saudi Arabia, Mr Biden was to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, with talks expected to focus on economic measures but without striking any diplomatic breakthrough. With Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations moribund since 2014, a US official said the delegation will make “some significant announcements … such as enhancing Palestinian economic opportunities”.

The US delegation will unveil plans to roll out infrastructure for faster 4G internet across Gaza and the West Bank by the end of next year, fulfilling a longstanding aspiration among Palestinians as their Israeli neighbours already tap in to 5G networks.

Mr Biden will also announce a “significant funding package” for hospitals in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, the US official said on Wednesday, which largely support the Palestinian population

But Mr Biden made clear on Thursday he had no plans to ­reverse the controversial move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by predecessor Mr Trump, which infuriated Palestinians who see its eastern sector as the seat of their future state.

Ahead of Mr Biden’s arrival, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it was lifting restrictions on “all carriers” using its airspace, an apparent gesture of openness ­towards Israel.

The US leader welcomed the “historic” decision, the latest conciliatory move by Riyadh concerning the Jewish state, which it has refused to recognise despite intensive efforts by the Israelis to establish ties with Arab countries.

Before Mr Biden’s arrival in ­Israel on Wednesday, Washington had hinted that more Arab nations could take steps to pursue relations with Israel, spurring speculation about whether ­Riyadh would alter its long-held position of not establishing official bilateral ties until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.

The kingdom did not show any opposition when its regional ally, the United Arab Emirates, established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, followed by Bahrain and Morocco under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Prince Mohammed’s refusal to offer concessions to Mr Biden threatens to overshadow a summit in which the US hopes Saudi Arabia will signal its willingness to help to reduce global oil prices.

Critics claim the visit is a ­humiliation for Mr Biden who, in his election campaign, said he would isolate Saudi Arabia over the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi but has been forced to seek a meeting with the prince, known as MBS, anyway. They say he cannot even be sure of getting a response because Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are pumping oil almost to the maximum.

“MBS is enacting policies that directly and badly affect US interests,” Khalid al-Jabri, General Saad al-Jabri’s son, who is also in exile, said. “Trump’s visit emboldened MBS. Biden risks outdoing Trump’s mistake.”

Mr Biden’s four-day tour began in Israel on Wednesday with meetings with Yair Lapid, the new Prime Minister.

The White House has been ­attacked over its Middle East policy since Mr Biden came to power. He gave the impression he was reacting to events rather than shaping them by announcing the Middle East visit after it became clear Israel and Saudi Arabia did not support his position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Biden said on Thursday he was attending a meeting of the Gulf Co-operation Council, which the six main Gulf states and Egypt and Jordan will also be at. “I want to make clear that we can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum filled by China and/or Russia,” he said.

The Times