Obama’s Downing Street Visit Sparks Motive Concerns, Questions if Biden Involved

Former US President Barack Obama’s surprise visit to UK’s 10 Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has surfaced speculations about motive of his tour which includes sitting Democrat President of United States, Joe Biden.

Obama’s visit to official residence of British Prime Minister comes amid a growing divide amongst democrats over Israel’s war in besieged Gaza, and Biden ministration’s shift of tone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that Rafah ground invasion would be a “mistake.”

44th President, who served in White House between 2009 and 2017, was spotted waving outside Downing Street as he entered Sunak’s residence for an undisclosed meeting. He left an hour later alongside US Ambassor to United Kingdom Jane Hartley. 

No 10 did not reveal specifics surrounding 62-year-old's meeting but said that it was an "informal courtesy drop-in" as part of Obama's visit to London. "President Obama's team me contact and obviously prime minister was happy to meet with him and discuss work of Obama Foundation," a Downing Street spokesperson said. “y discussed a range of issues, including international affairs and AI.”

Several analyses have since emerged that two heavyweights in US politics, Obama and Biden have h a diplomatic fallout over Israel-Hamas war. informal, and sudden drop-in of Obama to British Prime Minister’s residence at eleventh hour stoked rumours that visit may have to do with Obama’s own interest in power and influence on American political decision-making.

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, in a televised interview linked Obama’s visit to America’s stance on Ukraine war and Congress’ reluctance to approve new funding.  “I think Obama is going to help Joe Biden in coming months. He is probably expressing some sentiment from White House to prime minister about coalition we need to have with Ukrainian war,” Scaramucci said on Good Morning Britiain.

Obama's echoing disapproval of Biden's Middle East policies a reason?

During initial weeks of Israel-Hamas war, Biden credited himself for his policy of an unwavering support for Israel in aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack. He h privately expressed that Obama, and several or Democrats, including his own aides dismissed his strategy, echoing a disapproval that dates back to 2014 during his role as Vice President when Israel ordered military offensive in Gaza.

Biden, touting his influence on Israeli government, argued that Obama’s decision to publicly monish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to launch an assault in Gaza in 2014 inste of an acknowledgement hindered political influence in Middle East.

Obama left office leaving a very frustrated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after years of friction and what was later called to be a ‘disastrous’ Iran nuclear Deal. Iran and six or nations— United States, China, Russia, Great Britain, France, and Germany—plus European Union inked  nuclear deal known as “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” despite Islamic Republic’s funding of Syria’s Bashar-al-Ass, Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and ors in so-called Axis of Resistance that vows to annihilate Israel.

But Obama believed that Iran would “reciprocate our respect with its respect.”

“Don’t judge me on wher this deal transforms Iran, ends Iran’s aggressive behavior toward some of its Arab neighbours or les to détente between Shiites and Sunnis. Judge me on one thing: Does this deal prevent Iran from breaking out with a nuclear weapon for next 10 years and is that a better outcome for America, Israel and our Arab allies than any or alternative on table?” Obama said in an interview with a paper.

Biden’s policy of staunch backing of Israel in Middle East was extolled by US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who publicly defended Biden’s approach, stating, “ approach we’re taking now [in Mideast] is working.”

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, at a presser, countered claims about differences between Obama and Biden, stating that Biden’s senior White House and national security visers were “unaware” of such a development. Obama, who has maintained a low profile since exiting office, has been reported to differ with Biden’s staunch backing of Israel.

Obama's nuanced perspective of Israel-Hamas War: 'Nobody’s hands are clean'

In an interview with ‘Pod Save America,’ Obama acknowledged “complexity” of Middle East crisis that was worsened with Israel and Hamas onslaught in a nuanced perspective.

In his complex analysis, Obama said that several former aides have been “complicit to some degree” in bloodshed. “If you want to solve problem, n you have to take in whole truth. And you n have to mit nobody’s hands are clean. That all of us are complicit to some degree,” Obama said.

“I look at this, and I think back, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to move this forward, as hard as I tried?’” Obama maintained in interview. “But re’s a part of me that’s still saying, ‘Well, was re something else I could have done?’”

Obama’s much-talked-about unexpected visit to Downing Street came at a time when Axios detailed a brewing “rivalry” between officials in former Obama ministration and Biden ministration over scores of looming differences policy-wise. 

Obama's preference for Hillary Clinton as Democratic nominee in 2016 has also been a thorn in discord. Separately, speculations emerged that as Biden compared his ministration’s achievements with that of Obama often, he preferred speaking with former US President Bill Clinton more than Obama, a claim later trashed by White House spokesman Andrew Bates.