WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel next month and the White House is planning to announce the trip this week, a source familiar with the planning said on Sunday.
Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia could include a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the source said.
The White House has said Biden feels that the crown prince is a “pariah” for his role in the killing of a political opponent, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Turkey in 2018.
Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul tainted the crown prince’s image as a reformist. The Saudi government has denied any involvement by him.
The visit would be aimed at bolstering relations with Saudi Arabia at a time when Biden is trying to find ways to lower gasoline prices in the United States.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Sam Holmes)
