JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the alliance with the United States has never been stronger during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Jerusalem’s Western Wall.
Netanyahu joined Rubio and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in prayer at one of Judaism’s holiest sites, with all three donning kippas and touching the ancient stones in silent contemplation.
The delegation received a guided tour beneath the Western Wall to view excavated remains of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by Roman forces in 70 AD following a Jewish revolt.
All three leaders posed for photographs underground with their wives, who were separated from their husbands due to the gender-segregated prayer regulations at the Western Wall.
Netanyahu described Rubio as an “extraordinary friend of Israel” during remarks to gathered reporters following the religious visit.
The Israeli leader stated the alliance remains “as strong and as durable as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched” under both Rubio and President Donald Trump’s administration.
These comments emerged despite recent tensions after Israel conducted air strikes in Qatar targeting Hamas leaders, with both Trump and Rubio having expressed concerns about the operation.
Rubio confirmed he would discuss the Qatar strikes with Netanyahu but emphasised the incident would not damage the fundamental US-Israel relationship.
This visit marks the most senior US official presence at the Western Wall since former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 2019 visit alongside Netanyahu during Trump’s first term.
Pompeo’s earlier visit broke with traditional US diplomatic neutrality regarding the holy site, which also contains the Muslim sacred space of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Rubio is scheduled to attend Monday’s inauguration of a new tunnel for pilgrims accessing the holy site, further cementing the US position on Jerusalem’s status.
The Secretary of State described the Western Wall as “one of the most important archaeological sites in the world” when questioned by reporters before departing the United States.
Trump’s first-term decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem challenged international consensus against recognising Israel’s claim of the city as its indivisible capital.
Rubio’s predecessor Antony Blinken, who is Jewish, frequently visited Israel after the October 2023 Hamas attacks but maintained the previous diplomatic practice of staying in Tel Aviv rather than visiting religious sites. – AFP
