After Israel fist bump fiasco, can Joe Biden avoid handshake with Saudi crown prince?
- The US president’s body language will be closely watched as he meets the leader of a country he previously vowed to snub over Jamal Khashoggi’s killing
- As a ‘Covid precaution’, Biden was not supposed to shake hands on his Middle East trip, but he was seen doing so with ex-PM Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving in Israel
A glowing orb, a backslapping embrace, a formal handshake, or a cool, Covid-appropriate fist bump?
For all the talk of oil, the most pressing decision for US President Joe Biden this week could come down to choosing the appropriate greeting for the Saudi leader he vowed to snub.
It is a decision that just got more complicated after Biden was caught in an extended handshake with Israel’s former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then could not seem to stop doing the same with other Israeli officials during a visit to Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust.
Biden was not supposed to shake hands with any foreign leader during his first Middle East trip. It is a precaution aides said was meant to protect him from Covid-19 – but one that would conveniently help avoid a handshake with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the second leg of his tour.
It started off well, with Biden cautiously – if awkwardly – fist-bumping the Israel premier and several other officials after stepping off Air Force One in Tel Aviv.
Then, after speeches, came the quick handshake with recently resigned premier Naftali Bennett followed by the fulsome overture from Netanyahu.
