Biden in Bethlehem: Disappointments and Hope

ALBAWABA - There is mixed feeling about the US president's visit to the Palestinian territories as part of his Middle East tour that took him to Israel and now in Saudi Arabia. 

Although the Israelis preferred he didn't, Joe Biden visited East Jerusalem's Augusta Victoria Hospital and then he made a what was regarded as grand visits to different Palestinian structures.

Here, Israelis may have been especially upset because no sitting US president has visited East Jerusalem till now which maybe a sign to placate the Palestinians.

But the visit may have carried much symbolism as well because Biden's visit to Bethlehem and its Church of the Nativity. 

 There he met its priests and patriarchs including the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Ter Nourhan Manougian:

And then he met there also Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas for special set of discussions:

Biden met with Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority since 2005, after visiting a hospital in East Jerusalem that treats a large number of Palestinians and pledging millions of dollars in funding, according to the UPI. 

But Palestinians, especially Abbas and members of the Palestine Authority may have been disappointed in the visit because of what followed: Biden said the "ground is not ripe" for Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks toward a solution to their decades-old conflict, the American news agency reported. The Palestinians may have hoped Biden would force the Israelis to resume talks.

"Even if the ground is not ripe at this moment to restart negotiations, the United States and my administration will not give up on trying to bring Palestinians and Israelis and both sides closer together," the US president added.

The Palestinian street was not happy about the Biden's visit either, calling it a tour to the apartheid state. There was much protests and a vigil in Bethlehem against the US support for Israel. 

As well he was greeted with banners, a reminder of what Israel is:

Protesters were also disappointed on the issue of the slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was killed by an Israeli bullet while covering the Jenin protests last May. 

 Politics aside the highlight of the visit maybe the $100 million US aid pledged to Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem.