The President of the United States has changed, and so the world is changing too. But the biggest change is, perhaps, evident in the Middle East. Let us tell you how. Trump was possibly the most pro-Israel American President in a long time. On the other hand, Biden is ideologically dogmatic and somewhat obdurate on his diplomatic position in the Middle East. He is treating the Jewish nation bitterly and pushing it into isolation.
Biden is so bitterly opposed to the Jewish nation that he is yet to call Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Also, the US President is constantly empowering Israel’s main enemies in the region- Palestine and Iran. Also, the US President is dumping Saudi Arabia and diluting the sanctity of US-UAE ties. All in all, Biden is strengthening Israel’s enemies, and debilitating both Israel and its friends.
Biden’s unfair treatment is going to make the Jewish nation a lot less lucrative, because if it doesn’t have unabashed American backing, then the Arabs or other regional actors won’t be tempted to befriend it. Under Trump administration, Israel enjoyed unambiguous American backing. This is why countries like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan were ready to befriend the Jewish nation even at the cost of possible political backlash back home.
The Arabs knew that signing peace deals dubbed “Abraham Accords” with Israel brought along American goodwill in the form of fifth-generation fighter jets, smart bombs and even sanctions relief for some nations. But Biden is taking away all this appeal by distancing himself from Israel and also cancelling many of the gifts that the Trump administration had given to the Arabs for establishing formal ties with Israel.
When Trump was in power, the Arabs knew that come what may, the White House would put its weight behind Israel. This is why they were ready to go as far as giving up on the Palestinian cause or make some major concessions on the contentious Al Aqsa compound.
However, Biden is taking away all the goodwill on offer. Rather, he is putting all his weight behind Israel’s enemies by earmarking huge funds for Palestine and appointing an anti-Israel Ambassador to Iran. Now, by raking up the Palestinian cause all over again, Biden makes it even more difficult for the Arabs to strengthen their alliance with Israel.
Under the Trump administration, the Arabs found that abandoning Palestine and befriending Israel made a lot of sense. But the way Biden administration is going, the Arabs will have to weigh the consequences of getting closer to Israel all over again. Once Palestine cause gains momentum courtesy Biden’s Faustian diplomacy, the Arabs will find it hard to quell it all over again.
At the end of the day, Biden is unabashedly undermining the spirit of the Abraham Accords and this is going to bring things back to square one. Israel would again find itself isolated in a conflict-prone region and will be forced to fend for itself in the volatile Middle East.