Today, a summit of Arab leaders will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with US President Joe Biden on the last leg of his Middle East tour, which also led him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

This summit will bring together the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, the White House announced in a statement.

Biden will precede the summit - which he called the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development - with bilateral meetings he will hold with the leaders of Iraq, Egypt and the UAE.

A US official said that Biden will discuss in Jeddah the integration of missile and defense capabilities among the countries of the Middle East.

This official made it clear that Biden supports normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but considers the matter a sovereign decision and will not pressure either party in its regard. He also indicated in general that normalizing Israel's relations with Arab countries is a separate track from the two-state solution.

On the economic issue, Reuters quoted this US official as saying that Washington hopes that OPEC will issue an announcement in the coming weeks about increasing oil production.


billion dollars for food security

A senior official in the US administration said that Biden will announce today, Saturday, during his summit with Arab leaders, that the United States will allocate one billion dollars in new aid in the short and long term for food security in the Middle East and North Africa.

The official said GCC leaders would also commit $3 billion over the next two years in projects aligned with US partnerships in global infrastructure and investment.

Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon

On Friday, Biden arrived in Saudi Arabia, and met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials.

Washington and Riyadh pledged to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to maintain the stability of global energy markets, after US President Joe Biden held talks with Saudi officials in Jeddah, where he arrived from Tel Aviv on the first direct official trip linking Saudi Arabia and Israel.


In a joint statement, Washington and Riyadh stressed the importance of strategic economic and investment cooperation, especially in light of the crisis in Ukraine and its repercussions.

The two sides also stressed the importance of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and the need to stop Iran's support for "terrorism" through its armed groups, as well as deterring Iranian interference in the internal affairs of countries.

The joint statement also stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of trade through international sea lanes, particularly the Bab al-Mandab.

According to the statement, Biden affirmed his country's strong and lasting commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia's security and defending its territory.

Washington also welcomed Saudi Arabia's pledge to support a balanced global oil market in order to achieve sustainable economic growth, as the two countries renewed their commitment to the stability of global energy markets.

The White House also announced that Saudi Arabia agreed to maintain all existing commitments and procedures on Tiran Island.

The Saudi Press Agency had previously announced the signing of 18 agreements and memoranda of cooperation between Riyadh and Washington in the fields of energy, investment, communications, space and health, on the sidelines of Biden's visit to the Kingdom.

The agreements included cooperation in the fields of the aviation industry, defense industries, training and rehabilitation, and clean energy.

Among the agreements signed between the two sides is the Artemis agreement with the US space agency (NASA) to explore the moon and Mars.