This year, there is no longer the familiar “check-up” between Joe Biden and Mohammed bin Salman
On Saturday, during the G20 summit, Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman exchanged a classic handshake, in contrast to last year when the fist-bump greeting sparked controversy. The 80-year-old Democratic president has a complex relationship with the Crown Prince, where the slightest gesture is subject to careful monitoring.
Their fist-bump greeting last year sparked controversy: On Saturday, during the G20 summit, Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman exchanged a more classic handshake. At the end of a meeting dedicated to a large multilateral infrastructure project, the US President joined the Indian Prime Minister and the strongman of the oil kingdom, who sat near him.
Smiling, Joe Biden and the Crown Prince, nicknamed “MBS,” extended their hands. Narendra Modi, host of this year’s G20 summit, joined the gesture, placing his hands on top of his guests’ hands.
A relationship where the slightest gesture is closely scrutinized
This might be a banal interaction on the sidelines of a major diplomatic gathering, except that the 80-year-old Democratic president has a complicated relationship with the Saudi crown prince, where the slightest gesture is closely monitored.
On the one hand, Joe Biden wants to be the most ardent defender of human rights on the international stage, and the United States has accused Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the regime, in 2018. On the other hand, the president wants to strengthen relations with the kingdom. Saudi Arabia, a long-time ally of the United States.
“Worse than a handshake,” the Washington Post responded in 2022
In July 2022, Joe Biden visited Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a trip that drew criticism from human rights activists. From this trip, there was nothing left above all but one picture: a picture of Joe Biden and Muhammad bin Salman exchanging greetings with a “check”. The president, who wanted to avoid shaking hands officially in the name of health precautions in the face of COVID-19, chose this fist salute.
It was “worse than a handshake,” the CEO declared Washington PostThe newspaper where Jamal Khashoggi worked in a press release. “It produced a feeling of intimacy and ease.” The image, which was distributed by the Saudi authorities, instantly spread on social networks. It has since been used extensively to illustrate articles relating to the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Recently, Narendra Modi’s reception with great fanfare at the White House raised the issue of defending human rights. The Hindu nationalist prime minister has been accused of oppression of Muslims and authoritarian drift by many associations as well as the United Nations.
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