Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia has been postponed by the White House after he was chastised over the oil giant’s human rights record, but he will visit the Middle East in July.
Following a trip to Germany and Spain earlier this month, the president, 79, was said to be visiting the country as well as Israel.
However, authorities told NBC News that his travel to the Middle East will be postponed next month without giving a reason.
The proposal was never made public, but insiders claim that the itinerary had been shared to other countries and that the White House was planning for the trip.
When asked about the rumored visit on Friday, Biden said it was a possibility but that he wasn’t sure if he would go.
Human rights organizations chastised him, questioning why he was entertaining a country led by a brutal crown prince.
Biden said: ‘I have been engaged in trying to work with how we can bring more stability and peace to the Middle East.
‘And there is a possibility that I would be going to meet with both the Israelis and some Arab countries at the time, including, I expect, would be Saudi Arabia, would be included in that if I did go,’ Biden said on Friday.
‘But I have no direct plans at the moment. We’re looking at it.’
An official told NBC: ‘We are working on a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia for a GCC+3 Summit. We are working to confirm dates. When we have something to announce, we will.’
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