Joe Biden’s imminent Middle East visit may yield few dividends, but it is an imaginative and bold attempt to secure some kind of peace.
But it is also an imaginative and bold move which may help to stop some of the bloodshed. At the very least, Biden’s commitment and gesture has to be applauded.It is hard to think of a hot-headed Bush, a cautious Barack Obama or a crazed Donald Trump undertaking such a visit at a moment like this. Or who would have seen their duty in such bold terms. Few can now doubt the 80-year-old Biden’s determination to be re-elected.
And in addition to sitting down with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Biden will hold talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Critically, at this stage, he is not meeting the Saudi Crown Prince or the leaders of the Gulf States.Biden’s talks will emphasise that his objectives are not just to reassure Israel but to seek, however unlikely, some sort of peace in the region.
All this comes as Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese is packing his bags for his state visit to Washington, to begin on Monday. There must be at least a partial shadow over whether it will now go ahead, though Washington will be loath to cancel it after Biden’s no-show at the Quad Leaders summit scheduled for Sydney last May.
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