Analyst: Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia showed sheer US hypocrisy

US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia showed the sheer hypocrisy of the American foreign policy establishment, according to an American political analyst and activist.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders has denounced US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, saying the United States should not maintain a “warm relationship” with the kingdom.

Sanders on Sunday said Biden should not have visited the kingdom or met its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who was accused by American intelligence of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The former presidential candidate said that he does not believe “that type of government should be rewarded with a visit by the president of the United States.”

When asked in an interview with ABC whether Biden should have visited the country, Sanders replied, “No, I don’t think so.”

“You have a leader of that country who was involved in the murder of a Washington Post journalist,” he added. “I don’t think that that type of government should be rewarded with a visit by the president of the United States.”

“I just don’t believe we should be maintaining a warm relationship with a dictatorship like that,” he stated.

A team of Saudi operatives murdered Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018.

Biden, who once called for Saudi Arabia to be made a pariah, visited Saudi Arabia and met with the crown prince.

Where was Sanders before Biden went to Saudi Arabia?

In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, Myles Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, asked where Sanders was before Biden went to Saudi Arabia.

“Sen. Sanders is absolutely correct in saying Biden should not have visited Saudi Arabia because they were involved in the murder of Khashoggi. It’s too bad he didn’t make any noise before the visit. Biden during his campaign called Saudi Arabia a pariah nation. That’s good for campaign talk but when the chips are down, and an invented oil shortage is messing with our economy, then kowtowing to a barbarous regime is OK. From all reports though, Biden only succeeded in elevating the status of Muhammad bin Salman. Just another example of failed leadership,” Hoenig said.

“But this visit also showed the sheer hypocrisy of the US foreign policy establishment. Israel murdered an Al Jazeera journalist, and one who was an American citizen. Where was the outrage from Sanders over this visit? Apparently, Israel’s crimes against American citizens are ignored. In 1967, Israel attacked the USS Liberty, killing and wounding dozens.  In 2010 it attacked the Mavi Marmara, killing a Turkish-American peace activist, and with no condemnation from the US. And now, with the murder of Shereen Abu Akleh, it’s just another American sacrificed to be ignored,” he added.

“Saudi Arabia is a powerful (economically) and destabilizing country in the Mideast. It has been waging a near genocidal war in Yemen, with US support. And on an even greater scale than Israel, it has attacked and killed US citizens with impunity (9/11). Yet to save his presidency, Biden believed that a visit to this kingdom is part of the answer. Inflation is out of control and all blame is going to Russia and its effect on oil production. No talk from the White House, and especially not from the media, that the oil companies’ greed is what’s driving gas prices up. Instead, kowtowing to bin Salman is their go-to response,” he stated.

“Senator Sanders speaks well on economic and domestic issues but his viewpoints on foreign policy is a mixed bag. His timing on this condemnation also shows his loyalty to the Democratic Party by blustering after the fact,” he concluded.

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