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White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced Wednesday that due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden will not be shaking hands with anyone during this week’s Middle East trip.
Not long after, however, Biden met and shook hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
Sullivan had discussed politics while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One before the president’s arrival in Israel, the first stop on the trip.
“I think the simplest way to put it is that we’re in a phase of the pandemic right now where we’re looking to increase masking, decrease contact, minimize spread,” Sullivan said.
Although Sullivan acknowledged that “exactly how that plays out in any given interaction is something we’ll see,” the general no-contact policy is a change in protocol given that the president has engaged in handshake sessions with people at the White House over the past two days.
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But Sullivan insisted the change was “not unusual” as precautions are taken on overseas trips like the one Biden is taking. He noted that the president had tested negative for COVID-19 before the flight on Wednesday morning.
White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre later backed that up, saying the decisions were being made by Biden’s doctor. Referring to the spread of the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants, she said “it is reasonable to expect him to take extra precautions.”
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One reporter, referring to Biden shaking hands on the South Lawn of the White House, asked if the no-handshake precaution was a new policy change and had something to do with concerns that he would be seen shaking hands with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman . Biden is due to travel to Saudi Arabia from Israel later this week and will see the crown prince and his father, King Salman.
“It’s up to his doctor,” Jean-Pierre insisted, claiming it was not an official change in policy but simply an attempt “to minimize contact as much as possible.”
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“We want to make sure we’re taking these precautions to keep him and all of us safe, and we just want to be very clear about that,” she added.
As he stepped off Air Force One, Biden was greeted by several Israeli officials. Although he didn’t shake hands with them, the president punched almost everyone and put a hand on their shoulders, saying a few words to each.
Afterwards, he and Netanyahu shook hands.
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