President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the president of the United Arab Emirates, at the White House on Monday against the backdrop of violence in Gaza, civil war in Sudan and the development of artificial intelligence.
The meetings were the first visit by an Emirati president to American soil since the Emirates was founded in 1971. Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris held separate meetings with Sheikh Mohammed.
“I welcome the chance to open a new chapter,” Mr. Biden said in the Oval Office. “The U.A.E. is a nation of trailblazers always looking, always looking to the future, always making big bets, and that’s something our countries have in common and our people have in common.”
The meeting between the two leaders came amid growing concerns among U.S. officials that tensions in the Middle East could escalate into a broader war.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Emirates has helped evacuate critically wounded or sick Gazans from the strip and is considered a critical partner in the eventual rebuilding of the Palestinian territory after the war between Israel and Hamas. The Emirates said last week that it would refuse to support any postwar reconstruction efforts in Gaza without a clear plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
After greeting Sheikh Mohammed at the White House, Mr. Biden ignored shouted questions about whether Israel and Hamas could agree to a cease-fire deal before Mr. Biden’s term is up. The Pentagon is sending more troops to the Middle East after Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah on Monday killed hundreds of people in Lebanon.
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