Biden Gets Small Saudi Win Ahead of Visit Where He Needs a Big One
- US notches win with deal on Israeli flights over Saudi Arabia
- Meeting with Saudis, Gulf allies could yield future oil boost
President Joe Biden, center, is welcomed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15.
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
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President Joe Biden arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday eager to reset relations with a nation that has proven to be more pivotal to his political future than he anticipated.
Air Force One touched down in the seaside city of Jeddah Friday evening, just the second time a US president has arrived on a direct flight from Israel to Saudi Arabia. He was greeted at the airport by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, a senior royal who’s governor of Mecca, and Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US, on the purple carpet reserved for important guests.