Israel: Iran at the heart of the exchange between Joe Biden and Yaïr Lapid in Jerusalem
President Joe Biden speaks upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Wednesday, July 13, 2022, with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, second left, and President Isaac Herzog, left © AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
US President Joe Biden is currently in Israel, the first leg of his Middle East tour, before the Palestinian Territories and Saudi Arabia.
As soon as he arrived on Wednesday July 13, Israeli officials immediately set the tone.
For them, the main issue of this visit is Iran.
Advertising
Read more
With our correspondent in Jerusalem
,
Sami Boukhelifa
The Israelis fear that the Islamic Republic will develop atomic weapons, while the Iranian nuclear negotiations between the great powers and Tehran seem to be at an impasse.
Faced with this threat, the Jewish state dreams of a regional military alliance, which would bring together all the allies of the United States in the Middle East: Israel of course, Egypt, Jordan, but also the Gulf monarchies, the Emirates United Arabs, Bahrain and why not Saudi Arabia,
where Joe Biden will go on Friday
.
The Israeli press evokes the signing this Thursday by Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Joe Biden of a document called "
the Jerusalem declaration
".
"
It's a declaration that, in a way, will make all the allies of the United States in the region a semi-alliance, I mean semi-alliance, because it will not be the equivalent of the NATO, but in any case a common security structure between their allies in the region
, explains Emmanuel Navon, professor of international relations at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv.
Obviously, Saudi Arabia cannot at this point, for example, commit to a formal alliance with Israel, but it will be a declaration of common intention and common interests of the allies of the United States in the region in the face of Iran's own destabilizing policy.
»
► To consult: In Israel, Joe Biden promises to “further strengthen” ties with the Jewish state
Questioned Wednesday evening by Israeli channel 12, the American president nevertheless remains firm: he wants to favor the diplomatic solution with Iran.
"
The use of force will only intervene as a last resort
," he said.
This subject is so essential for the Israelis that it eclipses for the moment all the other stakes of the visit.
Not a word so far on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Only Joe Biden mentioned in one sentence his commitment to the two-state solution.
An Israeli state and a Palestinian state, side by side.
This is the consensus advocated by the international community.
Before the arrival of the American president,
Israel announced its intention to increase the number of work permits
for the inhabitants of Gaza and to give new construction permits for the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Gestures aimed at “
building trust
” with the Palestinians.
But not enough to revive the peace process stalled since 2014, says a senior Israeli official.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Israel
Israelo-Palestinian conflict
Palestinian territories
Iran
Joe Biden
Yair Lapid
Egypt
Jordan
United Arab Emirates
Bahrain
Saudi Arabia
United States
Diplomacy