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Transcript/ScriptUS MIDEAST PREVIEW-SUNDAY (TV)
HEADLINE: Biden Seeks to Balance Interests, Ideology in Mideast Trip
TEASER: US to push for Israel’s deeper integration in the region, urge Gulf countries to pump more oil
PUBLISHED AT: 07/10/2022 at 5:54 pm
BYLINE: Patsy Widakuswara
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: White House
VIDEOGRAPHER: AFPP
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, Skype
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:52
VID APPROVED BY: mcb
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: NO USE VOA PERSIAN for Iranian launch. VOA Persian is free to replace with different shot. Marked further down in script.
ORIGINALLY published on Friday, July 8
Replacing first sentence in first Narration bite – as Biden’s schedule changed, affecting the first bite))
((INTRO: ))
[[In his visit to the Middle East next week, President Joe Biden is set to push for Israel’s deeper integration in the region and urge Persian Gulf countries to pump more oil to alleviate pressure on the global energy market. Observers will watch how Biden balances these U.S. interests with American values of human rights, in light of the killings of journalists Jamal Khashoggi and Shereen Abu Akleh. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has the story. ]]
((Mandatory Credit: Israel Ministry of Defense Spokesperson's Office))
((NARRATOR))
President Joe Biden is set to begin his Middle East trip with a tour of Israeli air defense systems.
His administration is pushing to deepen security ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors,
((Upsound Iran launch)) ((NO USE VOA PERSIAN))
including integrating their air defense systems to counter the Iranian threat.
((Radio track: John Kirby is Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council.))
((John Kirby audio over his GFX))
“Bilaterally we're talking with nations across the region about air defense capabilities specifically and what we can do to assist with their defense and then, exploring the idea of being able to kind of integrate all those air defenses together.”
((NARRATOR))
A task made more challenging as the Israelis are now under a caretaker government.
From Tel Aviv, Biden will fly directly to Jeddah – a first for an American president.
It’s another sign from the Saudis, who have withheld recognition of Israel over its Palestinian occupation.
((Radio track: Yasmine Farouk is a nonresident scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.))
((Yasmine Farouk, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)) ((mandatory courtesy Skype))
“The Saudis have made concessions and have even dealt with the Israelis behind closed doors. And so, if going public with this is the message that the Biden administration would like to sen, that this is now possible, that progress has been made — yes. But let's not take it too far into saying that this is the first step towards normalization.”
((NARRATOR))
In Jeddah, Biden will meet leaders of the Gulf states plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, to offer security assurances while asking to increase burden sharing
((Upsound tank firing))
at a time when Washington is focused on the Ukraine war and the China threat.
((Upsound Car bomb Yemen))
((NARRATOR))
He’ll urge an extension of the ceasefire in Yemen, and
push producing countries to pump more oil to lower skyrocketing prices triggered by the war in Ukraine.
He must balance the strategic interests of working with authoritarian regimes, with American values like human rights.
((Radio track: Brian Katulis is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.))
((Brian Katulis, Middle East Institute)) ((mandatory courtesy Skype))
“It's important for America to continue to raise these in ways, in part because of that competition with China and Russia. Certainly, Putin and Xi are not raising the cases of
women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia, it's not a priority for them. And I do think, since America still is the preferred security partner, we have some leverage that we could use to have a constructive conversation.”
((NARRATOR))
Still, activists have criticized Biden’s plans to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and repairing ties with Saudi Arabia, a country he once called a pariah.
Including the fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist murdered with the prince’s approval.
(When Biden meets Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank to reaffirm support for the two-state solution, observers will also watch how he handles the case of Palestinian American journalist Shereen Abu Akleh, who, according to U.S. experts, likely died by an Israeli bullet.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)the White House
Embargo DateJuly 10, 2022 18:58 EDT
Byline
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, at the White House
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
