Joe Biden Confronts Saudi Crown Prince Over US Journalist Khashoggi Murder
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Roshan Amiri
- . July 16, 2022
- . Update: July 16, 2022 5:23 pm
Saudi arabia–United States President Joe Biden has confronted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Biden has held him responsible for the murder of the journalist, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the prince.
Reportedly, Biden said the crown prince, known as MBS, denied involvement in the murder of the journalist. The kingdom’s de facto ruler said he had held those responsible for the murder of the journalist.
After meeting with the prince, Biden reportedly said, “Concerning the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time and what I think about it now.” He further said, “For an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am.”
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Joe Biden arrived in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah on Friday. He was welcomed by the regional governor, Prince Khalid al-Faisal. The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, also welcomed the US President to the Kingdom. He met Prince Mohammed for the first time since taking office.
The visit is part of Biden’s Middle East tour. The US president is under intense pressure to repair the fragile relationship between the two countries. Biden will also meet Egyptian, Iraqi and Jordanian leaders during this tour.
Earlier, he was in East Jerusalem, part of the occupied Palestinian territories. He tried to mend ties with the Palestinians that were broken under former US President Trump.
Recently, Princess Reema bint Bandar, a member of the House of Saud and the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., said that Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia is “pivotal” for developing the American-Saudi partnership and global stability.
