President Joe Biden landed in Israel today on his first trip to the Middle East as President.
Biden is set to visit Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Saudi Arabia during the four-day trip. On the trip, Biden will meet with 11 regional leaders.
The trip was prompted in part by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the skyrocketing oil prices it has caused.
The White House said Biden hopes to build on connections between the countries and support what the administration called a more stable region than it was a couple of years ago.
Meetings begin in Israel today. From there, Biden will travel to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and meet with Palestinian leaders.
After that, Biden will attend the regional Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In the Kingdom, Biden will meet Saudi leaders, along with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Qatar.
Biden then will meet finally with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with King Salman.
Experts say that with gas prices high in the U.S. and with regional security issues at stake, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have many things in common that they want to discuss.
Biden said the trip is aimed at greater peace, stability, and connection, saying it was critical for the region.
Biden said that Saudi Arabia is working with experts to stabilize oil markets with other OPEC producers. Analysts expect that the Kingdom will this week agree to another increase after the OPEC agreement, which includes members such as Saudi Arabia, ends in December.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top crude producer.
No specific announcements on oil production are expected from this week’s summit, but the U.S. anticipates that there will be more and more increases in the coming future, according to people close to the matter.
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