A visit by an American president is always a reason to celebrate, regardless of who the visitor is. Taking precedence over any disputes, these visits demonstrate the strength of our bilateral ties and how important each country is to the other.
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Is this aspect, President Joe Biden is no different from his predecessors. He may be older than they are and involved in a complicated domestic political situation, but he's still the most important person in the world. Because of that, but not only, the recent dismissals voiced here in the past few days are a mistake. Until Biden's last day in the White House, all eyes will be on him, and what he says matters.
Beyond that, Biden is pro-Israel, and has defined himself as a Zionist. This is his 10th visit to Israel, and despite all the disputes between the two countries he remains faithful, like his predecessors, to Israel's existence, security, and well-being. His 18 months in office have expressed this in a multitude of ways, from special defense aid for Iron Dome to bolstering cooperation on intelligence, operations, and technology.
The high point of Biden's Middle East visit will be Saudi Arabia, but his decision to visit Israel first is a clear signal – to the Shiite axis, to Russia, and also to the moderate players – that for Washington, Jerusalem comes first. This powerful alliance (which will be enshrined in a declaration on Thursday) is yet another component of Israel's national security. The fact that a Democrat president is confirming it of vital importance, given the processes of radicalization taking place in the US and internationally.
Still, make no mistake. Biden doesn't work for Israel. He works with it. His foremost interests are those of the US. This is the root of the differences on the Palestinian issue and the Iranian nuclear program. During his trip, Biden will try to promote the former, if only to make a show of getting a peace process moving. Israel will lobby on the latter in an attempt to block or make significant improvements to a new Iran deal. One can cautiously say that both these attempts are doomed to fail; Israel and the Palestinians won't move ahead on anything in the foreseeable future, and the administration in Washington will remained locked into the most problematic solution when it comes to the Iranians.
This shouldn't make Israel ease its attempt to exert influence, backed by its friends and partners in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East. Iran is not just an Israeli problem, or even a regional one – it is a global problem. Its decision to sell attack drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war is yet more proof of its place on the axis of evil. If the Americans didn't realize that before, they will have to now. Biden's desire for increased Middle East oil output (mainly by the Saudis) in order to bring down prices should be used to make gains on the Iranian issue.
Anyone who hoped that his visit would bring a major breakthrough with the Saudis will be disappointed. The Americans wanted it, the Israelis wanted it, but the Saudis still aren't ready for official relations. It will take time, but what is happening now – the transfer of two Red Sea islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis allowing Israeli flights to use their airspace – is major progress, achieved through a mountain of contacts, meetings, and secret deals.
Biden's visit will have positive ramifications on these ties with Saudi Arabia and other countries. The Americans are working to establish a regional intelligence-operational-technological front, with Israel at the center. CENTCOM and the American diplomatic apparatus are working overtime on it, and in the next few days the world will see the image Washington wants to project: The axis of evil, which runs between Moscow, Tehran, and their allies, vs. the good guys, at the heart of which sit the US and Israel, along with the sane Middle East nations.
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