Marco Rubio promised that the US would offer its “unwavering support” to Israel in its war in Gaza as he met with Benjamin Netanyahu following an Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar.
The US Secretary of State said that Hamas “must cease to exist” as Washington attempted to contain the fallout from the strike on Doha, which sparked international outrage.
It follows Rubio’s arrival in Jerusalem on Sunday, with the politicians expected to address international outrage following Israeli air strikes on Qatar, the state’s planned ground invasion of Gaza City and the rapid expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
“Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security of the region,” Rubio said at the press conference. He added that moves to recognise Palestine have “no impact in bringing us closer to a Palestinian state.”
The UN Human Rights Council are set to hold an urgent debate following Israel’s strikes on Qatar, which Israel said were were aimed at Hamas leadership in Doha.
Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Sunday: “The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
Qatar boasts the largest US military base in the Middle East and has played a vital diplomatic role during the conflict, brokering hostage release and ceasefire deals for nearly two years.
Rubio’s visit comes ahead of the UN General Assembly summit, which will take place next week. America’s allies including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are expected to recognise the State of Palestine at the meeting.
Netanyahu accompanied Rubio and US ambassador Mick Huckabee on a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem over the weekend, saying the US-Israel alliance “has never been stronger”.
“It’s as strong, as durable as the stones in the Western Wall that we just touched,” he continued, as the pair wrote prayers on pieces of paper and placed them between the bricks.
Rubio remained silent in response to Netanyahu’s comments on Sunday but relayed Trump’s disquiet with the attacks on Qatar.
“Obviously we’re not happy about it,” he said ahead of the visit. “The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next.”
He emphasised that the action was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis”.
President Trump warned Israel to act with caution on Sunday, saying: “My message is that they have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”
A State Department spokesperson on Sunday reiterated Rubio’s pride at visiting the site, which emphasised “America’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital”.
While officially administered by Israel, many Palestinians also claim the city as their capital. Hamas condemned the visit as an assault on the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa mosque inside the compound.
As talks got underway, Israeli bombardment of the Gaza strip continued, with 16 Palestinians reported killed on Monday.
The country’s military campaign has drawn international criticism and outrage with at least 64, 871 Palestinians killed including at least 20,000 children, according to Save the Children.
Israel has been accused of genocide by rights groups and and is in active proceedings at the ICJ while an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu for war crimes.
The Israeli government has called the accusations a form of anti-semitism and “blood libel” and has denied all claims, stating that it is aiming to destroy Hamas after the group killed nearly 1,200 people on 7 October, 2023 and continue to hold 48 hostages.
