WSWS (2022-07-16). Biden hands blank check to Saudi Arabia in Middle East visit. wsws.org The aim of Biden's Middle East trip is to reassert Washington's standing with some of the most tyrannical rulers on the planet and line them up behind Washington's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.

Jason Ditz (2022-07-16). Iran Proxy Claims Iraqi PM Wants Normalization With Israel. news.antiwar.com This weekend's GCC+3 summit in Saudi Arabia is fueling some controversy in Iraq. Iraq PM Mustafa Kadhimi will attend the summit, and his rivals in pro-Iran proxy groups think he's up to something. | It's not clear how this got started, but Ketaib Hezbollah figures are claiming that some Israelis might attend the summit, expanding that to PM Yair Lapid possibly being there, and then suggesting Kadhimi There is no evidence of any of this, and Lapid almost certainly…

____ (2022-07-16). Saudi leaders meet with Biden over bilateral ties. ecns.cn Saudi Arabian leaders on Friday met with visiting U.S. President Joe Biden in the city of Jeddah to discuss bilateral relations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Staff (2022-07-16). US, Saudi Arabia issue joint anti-Iranian statement. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 16 (MNA) — Accusing Iran of interfering in other countries' internal affairs, the US and Saudi Arabia in a joint statement stressed their commitment to deter the country to do so.

Dave DeCamp (2022-07-15). Report: US Clinches Deal for Steps Toward Saudi-Israeli Normalization. news.antiwar.com The Times of Israel reported Thursday that President Biden An unnamed Middle Eastern diplomat told the Times that Egypt had agreed to transfer the control of two Red Sea islands, T…

_____ (2022-07-15). As Alarm Over Plastic Grows, Saudis Ramp Up Production In The US. popularresistance.org The flares started last December, an event Errol Summerlin, a former legal-aid lawyer, and his neighbors had been bracing for since 2017. After the flames, nipping at the night sky like lashes from a heavenly monster, came the odor, a gnarled concoction of steamed laundry and burned tires. | Thus did the Saudi royal family mark the expansion of its far-flung petrochemical empire to San Patricio County, Texas, a once-rural stretch of flatlands across Nueces Bay from Corpus Christi. It arrived in the form of Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), a plant that sprawls over 16 acres between the towns of Portland and Greg…

Arab Digest (2022-07-15). Saudi King Salman, His Sons and Airbus. fairobserver.com Last month, a London court heard how a senior executive and associate of an Airbus subsidiary paid over $11.5 million ( £9.7 million) in bribes to Saudi Arabian military officials to secure lucrative contracts for the UK government. The case, which was first exposed by Private Eye in 2016, relates to a UK government deal to…

Editor (2022-07-15). Chris Hedges: War with Iran. scheerpost.com Illustration by Mr. Fish — "Biden at Bat" | By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost | The United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia are plotting a war with Iran. The 2015 Iranian nuclear arms accord, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Donald Trump

WSWS (2022-07-15). American imperialism meets its blood-soaked clients in the Middle East. wsws.org The US president is visiting Saudi Arabia to advance the predatory interests of the American ruling class, seeking to maintain its global domination and suppress domestic unrest.

Nathan King (2022-07-15). The Heat: Biden's Middle East visit. america.cgtn.com It's described as a high stakes visit to the Middle East. From Israel to Saudi Arabia, we'll discuss what the Biden administration hopes to accomplish in the region.

Anonymous669 (2022-07-15). Saudi Arabia Opens Skies To 'All Carriers' In Breakthrough Step To Normalize With Israel. southfront.org El Al Boeing 787 -9 jet number 4X-EDA at Ben Gurion Airport., 18 September 2017. Photo by Wikimedia user (LLHZ2805). | Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace to all air carriers in a move that its meant to allow for more overflights to and from Israel. | In a statement released on July 14, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said that the kingdom's airspace was now open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights, in line with international conventions that say there should be n…

Suheir Sheikh (2022-07-15). U.S. Saudi controversial relationship met with a fist bump. america.cgtn.com It started with "make them pay the price" and ended with a fist bump. From November 2019 to July 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden seems to have changed his firm stance of making Saudi Arabia leaders the "pariah" for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. …

WSWS (2022-07-15). American imperialism meets its blood-soaked clients in the Middle East. wsws.org The US president is visiting Saudi Arabia to advance the predatory interests of the American ruling class, seeking to maintain its global domination and suppress domestic unrest.

Arab Digest (2022-07-15). Saudi King Salman, His Sons and Airbus. fairobserver.com Last month, a London court heard how a senior executive and associate of an Airbus subsidiary paid over $11.5 million ( £9.7 million) in bribes to Saudi Arabian military officials to secure lucrative contracts for the UK government. The case, which was first exposed by Private Eye in 2016, relates to a UK government deal to…

Jason Ditz (2022-07-14). UN Extends Yemen Mission in Hodeidah by Another Year. news.antiwar.com Just days before its expiration, the UN Security Council voted to extend the mission to Hodeidah is the largest seaport in Yemen, and source of most food aid into the country. Pro-Saudi forces were trying to take the port and the UN made a deal to try to avoid the fight, worrying the port would be damaged, leading to a famine. | The Hodeidah deal hasn't been perfect, but has prevented any major offensives on the port. The UN was empha…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-07-14). Biden advances Israel's agenda, one meeting at a time. peoplesdispatch.org After facing criticism during his three-day visit to Israel, Biden will visit Saudi Arabia where he try to convince Arab nations to "normalize" tries with the Zionist regime…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-07-14). Biden's visit signals nothing has changed on Saudi Arabia. peoplesdispatch.org Except for a brief bout of harsh criticism of Saudi Arabia during his campaign, Joe Biden has stayed the course when it comes to assistance to Saudi Arabia though it has been justified as being for 'defensive' purposes…

Basav Sen (2022-07-14). Biden Trip to Saudi Arabia Is a Signal to All Brutal Dictators of the World. commondreams.org President's visit to grovel for more oil shows that U.S. is perfectly happy to turn a blind eye to human rights atrocities and political repression if it suits U.S. business and geopolitical interests.

Basav Sen (2022-07-14). The Troubling Message of Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia. juancole.com ( Foreign Policy in Focus) President Biden has set out on his travels to Saudi Arabia. The implications of the trip for the intertwined issues of human rights and energy policy are dire. The Saudi Arabia visit represents a 180-degree turn for Biden, who once called Saudi Arabia a "pariah" while campaigning for president. …

WSWS (2022-07-14). Biden arrives in Israel to begin four-day tour courting dictators and war allies. wsws.org The US president's visit is focused on Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he seeks to bring together in an alliance for war with Iran.

____ (2022-07-13). Kremlin hopes U.S.-Saudi ties would not be 'directed against Russia' ahead of Biden's visit. ecns.cn Moscow highly values its relations with Riyadh and hopes U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia would not be used to create hostility against Russia, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

_____ (2022-07-13). Report: US Weighs Resuming 'Offensive' Weapons Sales To Saudi Arabia. popularresistance.org Biden said last year that he enacted the ban but has pushed through arms sales for the Saudis since. | Reuters reported on Monday that the Biden administration is considering lifting a ban on the sale of "offensive" weapons to Saudi Arabia as President Biden is preparing to visit the country. | Sources told Reuters that the decision hinges on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending its war in Yemen, where a ceasefire has been holding relatively well. The report said that the Biden administration wants the ceasefire to stick. | In February 2021, Biden said he was ending support for Saudi Arabia's "offensive" o…