Saudi Crown Prince's Brother to Visit US on 30th... Likely to Coordinate Ground War Stance

As Israel intensifies its attacks on the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defense and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, will visit the United States on the 30th.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 29th (local time), Minister Khalid plans to visit Washington on the day to meet with Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense responsible for diplomacy and security under the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, Tony Blinken, Secretary of State, and others.

Khalid previously served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. from 2017 to 2019. His visit will mark the highest-level visit by a Saudi official to the U.S. since the Biden administration took office.

Amid ongoing armed clashes between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, on the 28th (local time), Israel's missile defense system Iron Dome intercepted rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. As the conflict continues for about three weeks, on the 26th, the U.S. Department of Defense announced plans to provide Israel with Iron Dome systems capable of operating two batteries. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni Islamic country in the Middle East, has cooperated with the U.S. to prevent the Israel-Hamas armed conflict from escalating into a broader Middle Eastern war.

However, Saudi Arabia has clearly opposed Israel's retaliatory actions against Hamas, such as the deployment of ground forces in the Gaza Strip. This stance differs from that of the U.S., which has supported Israel's right to exercise self-defense following Hamas's attacks.

Attention is focused on whether both sides can narrow their differences over two conflicting issues?the initiation of Israel's ground offensive and minimizing civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip?through discussions during Minister Khalid's visit.

Additionally, reviving the prospects for normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which have been jeopardized by the current conflict, is expected to be an important agenda item in these talks.

While the international community is focusing on efforts for peace in the Middle East, the New York Times (NYT) reported that anti-Israel sentiment is spreading within China, including inflammatory remarks criticizing Israel.

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run Global Times, wrote on social media, in response to a tough statement by an Israeli minister toward Hezbollah, "Ah, Israel, calm down. I'm worried Israel might wipe out Earth in the solar system."

An influencer with 2.9 million followers on the social media platform Weibo declared that he would refer to Hamas not as a "terrorist organization" but as a "resistance organization." Furthermore, citing civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, he also labeled Israel as a "terrorist organization."

A Chinese state broadcaster posted a discussion post on Weibo claiming that Jews manipulate the U.S. economy, which attracted a flood of anti-Semitic comments.

Shen Yi, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in China, made remarks comparing Israel's attacks to Nazi aggression. Karis Witt, director of the China-focused think tank Signal Group, said, "If China judged that the spread of anti-Semitic remarks was problematic, censorship authorities would have blocked them," adding, "The Chinese government is clearly sending a message that it tolerates such remarks."

According to the NYT, Chinese state media have also criticized the U.S. political sphere for the strong influence of Jews, emphasizing that the U.S. is turning a blind eye to Israel's attacks.