Biden reaffirms US commitment to Israel's security during Middle East trip

The first time Joe Biden visited Israel was almost 50 years ago. The year was 1973 and the Yom Kippur War was just around the corner. The then US senator took advantage of his trip to meet with former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, a meeting that, in the words of the current president, was one of the "most important" of his life. 

Landing at Ben Gurion Airport, whose runway he first trod in 1973 as a senator, U.S. President Joe Biden bumped fists with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and, in a speech, described the connection between the two nations as 'bone-deep' https://t.co/a1OqYoPSJU pic.twitter.com/n3KekDAQtK

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 14, 2022

Decades later, Biden returns to Israel on his first visit as US president to begin a Middle East tour. However, the nation and region he has landed in is not the same as it was in 1973. Israel now maintains cordial relations with some of its Arab neighbours in the region, while Iran, once an important ally, is now its main enemy and poses a major threat to its national security.

For this reason, the Iranian regime and its nuclear programme are a key focus of Biden's meetings with Israeli officials. "There will be no nuclear Iran", Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid assured the press after a meeting with Biden in which "the Iranian threat" was one of the topics discussed. The two leaders signed the "Jerusalem Declaration", a document that takes a firm and common stance against Iran's nuclear programme and reaffirms Israel's right to defend itself.

According to Lapid, during the meeting they also discussed Saudi Arabia and the need to "build a partnership in the Middle East", something that, in the Israeli leader's words, "is long overdue". In addition to this bilateral meeting, Israel, the United States, India and the United Arab Emirates held a virtual summit to address food security and the current energy landscape. 

Biden, for his part, has warned during an interview with Israeli celebrity journalist Yonit Levi of Channel 12 that "the only thing worse than Iran is Iran with nuclear weapons". For Washington, as for Jerusalem, preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a priority. Biden has therefore assured Levi that the US would use force "as a last resort" to curb Iranian ambitions. "I'm not going to speculate on that, but Iran can't get a nuclear weapon," Biden responded when the host asked for more details.

erican President Joe Biden says adding that the US would use force as a last resort to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. #Israel #Iran @LeviYonit @N12News pic.twitter.com/OFoGUyO5sw

— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) July 13, 2022

The Democrat has also reiterated his position on the Iran nuclear deal. "I think it was a big mistake for the previous president to pull out of the deal. Now they're closer than they've ever been to a nuclear weapon," Biden said. For Iran, the US removing the Revolutionary Guard from the list of foreign terrorist organisations is a prerequisite for returning to the deal, although Washington has rejected that demand. Nevertheless, Biden has assured that it is possible to "act against the Revolutionary Guard and reach an agreement that can reduce the nuclear programme".

In addition to Iran and its threats, normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia is another key point of Biden's Middle East trip. However, as Biden acknowledged in the interview with the Israeli channel, the establishment of relations between the two countries "is going to take time", although he also indicated that "working on certain things" is a positive thing. Several reports have revealed that, despite the lack of relations, Israel and Saudi Arabia cooperate on security issues. There have also been media reports of secret meetings between the two nations' officials. According to Biden, Israel's integration in the region will make it possible to "reach an agreement with the Palestinians". 

Normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia “will take time” @POTUS to @N12News: pic.twitter.com/4GBnv92B0A

— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) July 13, 2022

In the interview, Biden took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to Israel's security when asked by Levi about Democrats who voted against funding for Iron Dome. "I think they're wrong," Biden said. "Israel is a democracy, it's our ally, it's our friend. It is in our interest to see stability in Israel," he added. 

More from exclusive @POTUS interview with @N12News: voices in the Democratic Party calling Israel an apartheid state are “few, and they are wrong” pic.twitter.com/CkX3XRkRSL

— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) July 13, 2022

"You don't have to be Jewish to be a Zionist," Biden said shortly after landing at Ben Gurion Airport during a welcoming ceremony attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett.

Pres. Biden speaks in Israel after arriving for the first leg of his trip to the Middle East. ABC News' @maryaliceparks tells us the significance of this high-stakes trip. pic.twitter.com/5ZeykafshR

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) July 13, 2022

As Biden said upon his arrival, US-Israeli ties are "stronger and deeper than ever", reaffirming an "unwavering" commitment to Israel's security. Lapid thanked Biden for his words, describing him as "a great Zionist and one of the best friends Israel has ever known". 

After the warm welcome and a look at several Israeli defence systems, Biden and Israeli officials travelled to the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, Yad Vashem, where the US president had the opportunity to talk to some survivors of the Shoah.  

During the first stop of his trip to the region, Biden is seeking to strengthen ties between the US and Israel, its main ally in the region. Despite recent developments in Europe with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's challenges in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East remains a key area for US foreign policy and for the Biden administration. 

Following his stay in Israel, Biden will travel to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas. He will then take a direct flight from Israel to the Saudi city of Jeddah, which, in the president's own words, represents 'steps towards normalisation between Israel and the Arab world'. 

Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra