In Washington, protesters nearly stormed the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee – demanding an end to the war in Gaza and blaming Israel and Biden for the genocide of Palestinians.
Biden discussed the conflict with Xi Jinping – and called for the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel opposes. However, China has limited ability to influence the situation – although it is gradually strengthening its position in the Middle East. Washington is more concerned about the threat of war around Taiwan, because the Pentagon cannot afford a third conflict.
The White House has managed to reach agreements with Israel and Qatar on the release of 50 prisoners in exchange for a 3-5 day truce. But these too could collapse at any moment, as Doha immediately accused Israel of war crimes for storming the Al-Shifa hospital.
Congressional Republicans are accusing China of trying to take advantage of the confusion in the Middle East by increasing co-operation with Iran and Saudi Arabia, and building a base in Oman not far from the US Central Command headquarters in Qatar.
Biden was required to raise these issues with Xi – even though he had already managed to make a mess of things with his “dictatorial” statements. Xi Jinping was clearly trying to gauge the temperature of American politics – and to gauge Biden’s chances of staying in power. The conclusions drawn are hardly particularly complimentary for Biden. The summit did not lead to much progress, Biden’s position is shakier than ever – and the US split is rapidly intensifying against the backdrop of two wars.
Malek Dudakov