Middle East cheers Biden’s withdrawal, uncertain about Kamala Harris pick

US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris prompted mixed reactions in the Middle East, driven by his support for Israel in its war in Gaza and raging conflicts across the region.  

Biden announced his decision to step down as the Democratic Party's nominee for the November US elections on his X account.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

Palestinians cheer Biden’s decision

While no regional officials had commented on Biden’s move as of this writing, social media users were quick to react to his decision not to seek another term.

Users from countries across the Middle East expressed excitement over the move and accused Biden of being complicit in what they described as the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Many condemned Biden over his unwavering support for Israel in its war on Gaza.

Israel launched its air and ground campaign in Gaza in reaction to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack, during which militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took over 240 others hostage.

Since then, Biden and his administration provided ample financial and military assistance to the Israeli army for its Gaza campaign.

Nearly 39,000 people, many of them women and children, have been estimated killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave, while the UN estimates that around 1.9 million people have been displaced. 

Ramy Abdu is chair of the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. He wrote on X shortly after Biden’s announcement, “For us Palestinians, his name will always be associated with the genocide committed by Israel under his support. To hell with you, Mr. Biden.”

Lima Bustami, who heads the group's legal department, posted on X a video of a bloodied baby who was killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, captioning it, “This is your legacy, Biden.”

Bustami continued in another tweet: “Biden should not anticipate a peaceful retirement; instead, he must face accountability for his complicity in the Gaza genocide,” adding, “The remainder of his life, however short, should be spent behind bars where such criminals belong.”

“He will forever remain Genocide Joe,” user Hanine Hassan wrote on X. Nour Odeh, a prominent Palestinian activist and journalist, echoed a similar sentiment: 

Political and social activist Jamil Moawad addressed Biden in a tweet, saying, “History will remember you for enabling a genocide.”

Palestinian-American user Khalid Turaani said on X that Biden’s single term has been marred with “the shame of genocide in Gaza.”

Other social media users mocked Biden’s withdrawal, saying he is leaving his post while failing to remove Hamas.

Debate in Turkey: Will Michelle Obama join the race?

In Turkey, the withdrawal sparked speculation of Michelle Obama jumping into the race despite the former first lady's repeated statements that she has no intention to run for the US presidency. The Obamas refrained from openly endorsing Harris in their statement on Biden’s withdrawal on Sunday, fueling the speculation mill. 

“Obamas are mum as Democratic Party members pour in support for Kamala Harris,” a headline from Turkey’s leftist Arti Gercek news outlet read. An Ipsos poll released on July 2 showed that the former first lady is the strongest candidate against Trump, defeating him at 50% to 39%, some political commentators discussed what ties between Ankara and Washington would look like under her presidency.

“From Turkey’s perspective, Michelle Obama is an intellectual woman, active both politically and socially, but it is highly likely that she has prejudice [against Turkey] from her husband's presidency,” journalist Muat Yetkin wrote on his website, Yetkin Report. “As a lawyer, it can be expected that she will take a rational stance.”

Iran says change 'not important'

Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani as telling reporters on Monday that “political figures in the US government are not important.”

“The thing is the US government has always taken a hostile approach and a hostile policy on Iran over the past years, and what can change the atmosphere of relations is the change of the hostile behavior of the United States toward the Iranian nation,” Kanaani said in response to a question about the US election, the semi-official Press TV reported.

Egyptians chime in

Cairo-based researcher and lecturer Tarek Tantawi described the decision as “one of the most effective chess moves in the world.”

In a post on Facebook, Tantawi said that Biden would have been defeated in the elections, which would have been a “crushing defeat for the Democrats.”

While he believes Trump’s chances are still high, he said Harris may well take the lead thanks to her youth and the Democrats’ efforts to defeat Trump.

Egyptian Facebook user Salah el-Din said “the worst awaits Arabs and Muslims” in the region whether Trump or “Jewish Harris” wins the US elections. 

Syrians praise Assad, mock Biden

In Syria, memes of Biden vowing to remove President Bashar al-Assad juxtaposed with his withdrawal letter widely circulated on  X.

و ذهب بايدن ايضاً
و بقي ابو حافظ😁#بشار_الأسد pic.twitter.com/8YjLPfIM6r

— حسابي الجديد(الشيخ ابن بعلبك) (@ali145899177196) July 21, 2024

“Biden left, Bashar al-Assad stayed,” wrote user Mohammed Fares.

Columnist Eyad AbuShakra wrote on X, “US President Joe Biden stepped down from his party's nomination for president without a single shot. … As for Syria, the person concerned [Bashar al-Assad] did not see a reason to step down despite the millions of victims, the destruction of the country and its division between militias and foreign countries since 2011!”

Biden was vice president when the Obama administration declared that “Assad must go” at the onset of the war in 2011. But his own administration has been silent as the region has warmed to the Syrian leader.

Saudi-US relations in spotlight

Saudi users also joined the chorus hailing Biden’s impending departure. 

When Biden took office in 2021, he took a tough stance on Saudi Arabia over Crown Prince Muhamed bin Salman’s alleged role in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Many said that while Biden vowed to make a pariah of Saudi Arabia, the tables have turned for the US president, who they point out has been shunned by his own party.

Saudi writer Mohammed al-Owein said Biden had become an “outcast” and will find himself in “history’s dumpster.”

He said Biden has threatened Saudi Arabia, which despite his “arrogance,” has continued to stand tall.

Owein also questioned Harris’ ability to withstand the chaos that the Democrats, referring to Biden and former President Barack Obama, have created in the world.

He believes that if Trump wins the election, which he says is the most likely outcome, “A new page in American history will open, and Trump will eliminate the remaining group of influential leftists, and cancel all of their destructive decisions.”

Another Saudi user, Saleh bin Kahlah, wrote, “2020: I will make Saudi Arabia a pariah. 2024: The outcast is expelled from the presidential race by his party. Everyone who is hostile to Saudi Arabia will leave or collapse.”

“Don’t mess with the Saudis,” Saudi user Salem al-Fadly, wrote on X, also mocking Biden’s vow to make the kingdom a pariah state.

But Biden’s 2022 visit to Riyadh seemed to shift his priorities. More recently, US and Saudi officials have been in talks to enact defense and security pacts with the kingdom in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel.

Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, a columnist for the Saudi-based Asharq al-Awsat, said whoever wins the US elections will work on defense pacts with Riyadh. 

He also believes Democrats in the Senate will sabotage any plans Trump might propose.

هذا الجانب الذي يهمنا اكثر،
سواء جاء #ترمب او #هاريس، الفائز سيعيد احياء الاتفاقية الدفاعية مع الرياض التي طرحها بايدن.

لكن التحدي ليس في البيت الأبيض ومن سيصبح الرئيس،
بل في مجلس الشيوخ لأنه هو الذي سيصدق على الاتفاقية حينها (ثلث المجلس سيطرح في الانتخابات.. عدد المقاعد للترشح… https://t.co/YVCMkD00bc

— عبدالرحمن الراشد (@aalrashed) July 22, 2024

“Whether Trump or Harris wins, the winner will revive the defense agreement with Riyadh that Biden proposed,” he said.

However, Rashed doubts such an agreement will pass in the Senate, where 33 out of 100 seats are up for vote. He wrote, “The challenge does not lie in the White House or in who will become president. Rather, it lies in the Senate because it is the one that will ratify the agreement when it is reached.”

“The agreement will pass if it secures two-thirds of senators’ votes, and it is unlikely that one of [the parties] will win all of it in the elections (the Republicans are likely to win a majority in the Senate this time, and perhaps a simple majority),” he projected.

Rashed believes such an agreement will not pass whoever wins. “Biden's strength was his ability to persuade even Republican members of the Senate and secure a quorum.”

“If Trump wins, Democrats may seek to sabotage his political projects and vote against them,” he said. “Likewise, if Harris becomes president, she will lack Biden’s personality and longstanding relationships unless he supports her after his retirement.”

Adam Lucente and Ezgi Akin contributed to this report from New York and Ankara.