President Joe Biden said he raised the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the beginning of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday.
"I said, very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am," Biden said. "I'll always stand up for our values."
US intelligence believes that the crown prince likely approved the killing of Khashoggi, a US-based writer, four years ago. His murder has loomed over Biden's efforts to reset relations with Saudi Arabia.
Biden also announced that US peacekeepers would leave the Red Sea island of Tiran by the end of the year, part of an agreement reached during what he called "a good series of meetings" in Jeddah.
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President Joe Biden's fist bump with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was drawing criticism even before his meeting with the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia concluded on Friday.
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancée, tweeted a screen shot imagining what he would have said in response to the meeting, reading “the blood of MBS's next victim is on your hands.”
California Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said “One fist bump is worth a thousand words.”
He added: “If we ever needed a visual reminder of the continuing grip oil-rich autocrats have on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, we got it today.”
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The fist bump marked the first time Biden has met the crown prince since he took office.
The brief encounter, which was captured by Saudi television, occurred as Biden stepped out of his presidential limousine after landing in the Red Sea city of Jeddah from Israel.
(With AP Inputs)
