October 16, 2023
It’s hard to overstate the damage that Joe Biden’s administration from hell is inflicting on America’s power around the world.
This noticeable decline manifests itself in a myriad of ways, and the diplomatic front is perhaps one of the most noticeable.
Case in point: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to Saudi Arabia, and called for pressure on Hamas – all in vain.
A pro-Biden media outlet would say the Secretary of State ‘met for nearly an hour with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the royal’s farm residence in the Riyadh area, a US official said.’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters he ‘heard a lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to do moving forward’.
But while the goal of convincing Arab partners to condemn Hamas’s was always unattainable, what is specific of the Biden implosion of America’s prestige was the clear diplomatic snub.
The Washington Post reported:
“In Riyadh, the Saudi ruler kept Blinken waiting several hours for a meeting presumed to happen in the evening but which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning.
Once the meeting began, Mohammed ‘stressed’ the need to stop the military operations ‘that claimed the lives of innocent people’ — a reference to Israel’s offensive — and lift the ‘siege of Gaza’ that has left the Palestinian territory without water, electricity or fuel, according to the Saudi summary of the meeting.
The crown prince also called for a halt in the ‘current escalation’ in the conflict, a direct contradiction of U.S. policy, which has backed Israel to pursue its maximalist goal of eradicating Hamas.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest sites, is an influential voice in shaping Arab perceptions of the conflict. While Riyadh prizes its role as a defender of Palestinians, it views Hamas as a spoiler to greater regional integration, including the crown prince’s flirtations with normalizing relations with Israel.”
If Blinken getting a cold reception in Riyadh was expected, the public humiliation is something else.
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SOURCE: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/10/joe-biden-effect-saudi-crown-prince-humiliates-secretary/
RELATED: Dissed by Saudi Arabia, lectured by Egypt: U.S. diplomacy meets Mideast reality
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says no one wants the Israeli-Hamas conflict to grow, but Arab leaders won’t take sides.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been the face of the Biden administration’s diplomatic push, visiting Israel and six majority-Arab countries in the past several days. | Pool photo by Jacquelyn Martin
October 16, 2023
America’s intense war-time diplomacy is so far failing to sway Arab countries in the Middle East — and President Joe Biden’s planned visit to the region may not help.
In recent days, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been nearly ghosted by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and given a bizarre history lesson by Egypt’s ruler. U.S. officials have been unable to get most Arab leaders to denounce Hamas for the Palestinian militant group’s brutal attack on Israel or make statements supporting Israel’s military response.
The struggle suggests that U.S. influence is receding in the region, where governments’ interests often diverge from that of Washington and both Russia and China are vying for sway. And unequivocal U.S. support for Israel — as opposed to the more nuanced positions it often takes in Middle East flare-ups — may be one of the biggest barriers to better relations.
The U.S. appeared to score a diplomatic win early Tuesday in Israel when the two countries agreed to develop a plan to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run territory now under Israeli siege.
The Hamas attack on Israel has been so massive and violent, killing more than 1,200 Israelis, that many regional leaders are still trying to figure out their positions.
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SOURCE: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/16/biden-blinken-diplomacy-middle-east-00121829
RELATED: Saudi’s crown prince snubbed the US Secretary of State by making him wait hours for a meeting before postponing it, report says
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 15, 2023. Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Anadolu via Getty Images
October 16, 2023
Mohammed bin Salman reportedly kept Antony Blinken waiting for hours for a meeting, then didn’t show, a report said.
It came as Blinken, the US secretary of state, tried to persuade the Saudi ruler to condemn the Hamas terror attacks.
Arab countries have criticized Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks.
Saudi Arabia’s ruler kept US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, waiting for hours for a meeting, then didn’t show up until the next day, in an astonishing snub to the US’ top diplomat, The Washington Post said.
In the wake of the Hamas terror attacks in Israel, Blinken last week visited several US allies in the Middle East in a bid to rally them around the US’ position, including Mohamed bin Salman.
The core goal of the trip was to persuade the leaders to condemn Hamas’ brutal violence, and try and tamp down unrest in their countries sparked by the new fighting.
But Blinken reportedly got a cold reception in Riyadh, where key differences between the US and Saudis emerged.
Blinken had expected to meet Mohamed bin Salman in the evening after touching down on Saturday, but was kept waiting for hours, with the crown prince eventually showing up the next morning, the report said.
In the meeting, the crown prince reportedly called for Israel to halt military operations “that claimed the lives of innocent people,” after Israel bombarded the densely populated Gaza strip, and imposed a blockade on food, fuel, and other supplies. He also reportedly called for the conflict to be de-escalated.
The Saudi position is in contrast to that taken by the Biden administration. The US president has backed Israel’s bid to eliminate Hamas in the wake of the terror attacks, but has called for civilian lives to be protected.
