President Biden Couldn’t Wait To Shake Hands In Israel

President Biden would not be shaking hands with anyone during this week’s Middle East trip, according to a statement made on Wednesday by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Prior to the president’s arrival in Israel, the first stop on the trip, Sullivan spoke with reporters while on board Air Force One on the policy.

“I think just the simplest way for me to put it is that we’re in a phase of the pandemic right now where we’re looking to increase masking, reduce contact, to minimize spread,” Sullivan said.

While Sullivan admitted that “how exactly that plays out in any given interaction is something that we will see,” the general no-contact policy is a shift in protocol given that the president had participated in hand-shaking sessions with people at the White House during the past two days.

Sullivan said that the change “is not abnormal” since precautions are taken on international trips like the one Biden is taking. He did disclose that the president tested negative for COVID-19 prior to Whis flight.

Several Israeli government representatives greeted Biden as he exited Air Force One. The president did not shake hands with them, but he did fist bump almost all of them and put a hand on their shoulders and spoke briefly to each of them.

Immediately after that, the POTUS and Netanyahu shook hands.

Biden has plans to travel to Saudi Arabia from Israel in a few days, and he will be meeting with the crown prince and his father, King Salman.