JERUSALEM — President Joe Biden on Thursday would not commit to confronting the leaders of Saudi Arabia over the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi when he travels to the kingdom later this week .
"I always bring up human rights, but my position on Khashoggi has been so clear, if anyone doesn't understand it in Saudi Arabia — or anywhere else — they haven't been around," Biden said at a news conference in Jerusalem.
Biden had pledged during the 2020 election to make Saudi Arabia an international "pariah" over the killing, believed to have been ordered by Saudi leaders, as well as other human rights abuses. But he argued Thursday that it is essential to reengage with the longtime ally to avoid creating a leadership vacuum in the Middle East. Biden — who travels to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet leaders of that country and others in the region — argued that China and Russia would fill that void if the United States fails.
Khashoggi, a dissident, was slain in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the slaying was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.
"The reason I'm going to Saudi Arabia... is much broader," he said. "It's to promote U.S. interests."
Biden also defended America's decision to pursue diplomacy in an attempt to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program, an effort opposed by Israel and Saudi Arabia. In pledging to protect Israel's security, Biden offered support for "an independent democratic Jewish state," weighing in on a long-running conflict over the role of Palestinians who live predominantly in territories occupied by Israel. Biden at the same time reiterated his support for a Palestinian state.
Israel's interim prime minister, Yair Lapid, offered a lengthy warning about negotiations with Iran, which he said was bent on destroying "the only Jewish state in the world."
Biden favors a return to a 2015 pact — negotiated by the Obama administration and dumped by President Trump — that sought to constrain Iran's ability to enrich uranium. Israel argues the agreement did not go far enough in ensuring compliance or preventing Iran from resuming its efforts, especially after it eventually expired.
"Words will not stop them, Mr. President. Diplomacy will not stop them," Lapid, standing at a lectern beside Biden, said. "The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table."
"It must not be a bluff. But the Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world," he continued, "they will pay a heavy price."
Biden offered "an ironclad commitment of the United States of America to defend Israel's security." But when asked, he declined to put a timetable on ending diplomacy with Iran, even as Israel has argued Tehran is simply trying to buy time as it gets closer to building a weapon.
"We have laid out for the leadership of Iran what we're willing to accept," Biden said. "We're waiting for their response. When that will come, we are not certain, but we are not going to wait forever."
