JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Qatar and its effects on Gaza truce efforts.
Rubio scheduled this solidarity visit one week before a French-led United Nations summit to recognise a Palestinian state, a prospect strongly opposed by Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
The Trump administration expressed displeasure after Israel carried out an attack in Qatar against Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
“Obviously we’re not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,“ Rubio told reporters when asked about the strike.
Rubio said he would discuss Israeli military plans to seize Gaza City and the government’s talk of annexing parts of the West Bank to preclude a Palestinian state.
He stated that Trump wants the Gaza war finished with hostage releases and ensuring Hamas is no longer a threat.
“Part of what we’re going to have to discuss as part of this visit is how the events of last week with Qatar impact that,“ Rubio said.
The United States has not joined European powers in pressing Israel to end the offensive despite humanitarian crisis concerns in Gaza.
Rubio and Netanyahu prayed together at the Western Wall on Sunday, with Rubio later posting that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel.
Until Trump’s first term, US leaders had avoided such overt statements backing Israeli sovereignty over contested Jerusalem.
Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and has repeatedly offered strong backing to Israel despite opposing actions like the Qatar strikes.
Netanyahu said after touring excavated sites with Rubio that Israel’s alliance with the United States has never been stronger.
Rubio is expected to attend the inauguration of a pilgrim’s tunnel leading to the holy area, which he called one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
Palestinian and peace groups say the tunnel inauguration gives legitimacy to Israeli claims over East Jerusalem, annexed after the 1967 seizure. – AFP
