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President Joe Biden is in the Mideast this week to meet with Israeli, Palestinian Authority, and Saudi officials.

On the level of public diplomacy, Biden’s visit to Israel, his 10th, has included the kinds of speeches and appearances one would expect from a US President visiting our most valuable ally. Biden went to Yad Vashem, met with Israel’s President, and watched the opening of the Maccabiah Games. In his public remarks, Biden has spoken about the deep bonds between the US and Israel. He and acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint declaration reaffirming "the unbreakable bonds" between the two countries and "the enduring commitment of the United States to Israel’s security."

At the same time, the Biden administration turned down an Israeli request to allow Israeli government officials to join Biden’s planned visit to the Augusta Victoria hospital in East Jerusalem on Friday morning. Biden’s visit to a site in East Jerusalem is diplomatically sensitive, and the exclusion of Israeli representatives gives the impression that the US is recognizing Palestinian claims over that part of Israel’s capital.

On Wednesday, Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Joe Wilson (R-SC) and David Kustoff (R-TN), co-chairs of the House Republican Israel Caucus, sent a letter to President Biden in opposition to his scheduled visit to East Jerusalem. They wrote:

We write today to express our strong opposition to your rejection of the request made by Israel to have officials join you in your visit to East Jerusalem outside of the Old City.

Jerusalem today is the undivided capital of the State of Israel, as recognized by US law. Yet, your administration continues to signal support for the division of the city… We were therefore dismayed when your administration proposed to reopen the US Consulate in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem, that would provide separate diplomatic outreach to the Palestinians. After the subsequent move to shift the Palestinian Affairs Unit (PAU) out of the US Ambassador to Israel’s reporting chain of command and rename the PAU the “US Office of Palestinian Affairs,” your visit will only further serve to support the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to divide Jerusalem.

… No US President in recent history has visited East Jerusalem outside of the Old City, and to do so now in this manner would serve to inflame tension, rather than advance peace. We urge you not to visit East Jerusalem during your impending visit to Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem, and to respect the wishes of our close ally, Israel.

The RJC has called on President Joe Biden to STAND STRONG for the US and Israel during his Mideast trip.

We call on President Biden to:

• Announce that the U.S. is done negotiating with the murderous and mendacious Iranian regime.

• Commit that the U.S. will work with Israel and other regional allies to maximize pressure on the Iranian government unless and until they end their nuclear weapons program and stop promoting terrorism.

• Reverse the plan to give the Palestinians a de facto Embassy in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.

• Tell Mahmoud Abbas that he must stop “pay-for-slay” payments to terrorists who kill Israelis or lose U.S. assistance, as provided for in the Taylor Force Act;

• Work to build on the Abraham Accords, President Trump’s successful initiative to bring peace to the region.

A Palestinian terrorist walked into the Sbarro pizza shop in the center of Jerusalem on August 9, 2001, and blew himself up, killing 15 people. One of them was an American teenager named Malki Roth. The Times of Israel summarizes what happened next. A woman named Ahlam Tamimi, who chose the target and guided the bomber there, was convicted and sentenced to prison in Israel, only to be released by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap with Hamas. Tamimi was sent to her country of origin, Jordan, where she lives now as a celebrity.

Malki's parents, Frimet and Arnold Roth, have made every effort to see Tamimi prosecuted in US court for the murder of an American citizen. Ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, the Roths requested a meeting with him and asked for his help in bringing Malki’s killer to justice.

Jordan and the US signed an extradition treaty in 1995, but Jordan has refused to extradite Tamimi. Successive American administrations, mindful of Jordan’s role in the region and the nature of the Hashemite monarchy, have not taken strong action to pressure Jordan into sending Tamimi to the US for trial.

The Biden administration said on Monday that it is still seeking Tamimi’s extradition, without commenting on the Roth family’s meeting request.

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