News Release

Biden’s Trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia: “Hypocrisy on Display”

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MAZIN QUMSIYEH, mazin@qumsiyeh.org
Biden’s trip includes a stop in Bethlehem. Qumsiyeh is a professor at Bethlehem University. His books include Sharing the Land of Canaan. He is founding director of the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability. He highlights how U.S. policy is “hypocrisy on display” with Biden’s trip: While it professes stability, its militarism and weapons have destabilized the region. While it professes freedom and peace, it has backed Israel in its oppression of Palesitnians, killings and violations of international law.

RAJI SOURANI, pchr@pchrgaza.org, @pchrgaza

Sourani is executive director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza, which Israel bombed extensively last year. He is a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award. The group’s recent statements include: “U.S. Investigation into Killing of Journalist Shireen Abu ‘Akleh Attempts to Mislead Justice and Its findings not Binding,” “Israeli Occupation Forces Kill Palestinian Child in Ramallah,” “Medical Neglect Kills Palestinian Woman Detained in Israeli Prisons” and “Cancer Patient Dies After Israeli Authorities Deny His Travel for Treatment Abroad.”

SAREE MAKDISI, makdisi@humnet.ucla.edu, @sareemakdisi
Makdisi’s books include Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation and the just-released Tolerance Is a Wasteland: Palestine and the Culture of Denial. He is professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA. His pieces include “Apartheid” for Critical Inquiry. Last year he wrote the piece “The Nakba Is Now” for The Nation. He notes the disparity between the U.S. media and establishment glorifying Ukrainians fighting against Russians while Palestinians struggling against a U.S.-backed Israeli military occupation for decades have been demonized, or — at best — tolerated.

MOUIN RABBANI, mail@mouinrabbani.net, @mouinrabbani
Rabbani is co-editor of Jadaliyya. He recently appeared on “Democracy Now!” and stated: “It seems to me fairly self-evident that what Antony Blinken and other U.S. officials told the Palestinian leadership is that unless you hand over the bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh and allow us to put this matter to rest by essentially saying that no conclusion can be reached, we’re not going to throw you the bone of a presidential visit to the Palestinian Authority leadership. And that’s essentially what happened.”

Background: See recent IPA news release: “Biden’s Saudi Trip: For Cheaper Gas — or for Israel?

See video from the Quincy Institute: “President Biden walks in Trump’s footsteps in Saudi Arabia & Israel this week.”

See from Forbes: “Biden’s Mideast Agenda Could Increase the Risks of War.”