The leaders' meeting caught the world's attention after Biden greeted the Saudi prince with a “knuckle fist”. But you must be wondering why this gesture caused so much controversy, right? The story is simpler than it seems.
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On other occasions, the US president has called Salman an international pariah and criticized the way the country handles the human rights situation.
According to international agencies, Biden's advisors were afraid there would be any record withprometeter of his meeting with the Saudi prince. No sooner said than done. The “punch” was enough for the criticism to begin. Many understood the act as a kind of validation of Salman's government. Check out the video of that moment below:
US interests
With the change in international policies related to the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, Biden went to the Middle East to negotiate increased oil production. The US president was received by a delegation led by members of the royal family. However, the prepared ceremony was devoid of any pomp.
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Who was Jamal Khashoggi
In response to the meeting, journalist Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée tweeted that Biden now has his hands stained with the blood of the crown prince's next victim.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi regime, was murdered and dismembered on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, when he arrived there to collect the necessary documents to marry his Turkish fiancée.
At the time, the White House released a US intelligence report on the journalist's murder. The text concluded that the crown prince was responsible for the crime.
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Text with information from Agence France-Presse/AFP
Top photo: Reproduction/Wikimedia Commons
