Joe Biden arrives in Israel at start of Middle East trip

President Joe Biden, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid during a welcoming ceremony (Ariel Schalit/AP)

Joe Biden opened his first visit to the Mideast as president on Wednesday by declaring a “bone deep” bond between the United States and Israel and pledging to strengthen economic connections between the two countries going forward.

He did not mention one of the larger goals of his visit: assuring uneasy Israeli and Saudi Arabian officials that he is committed to preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.