As Arab and Muslim leaders met in Doha to condemn Israel’s attack last week in Qatar and new rounds of criticism were aired over Israel’s Gaza City efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Jerusalem and downplayed the furor that had, at least for a short time, taken the Trump administration aback.
The State Department said Rubio would travel to Qatar on Tuesday for a brief visit, as the administration appears keen to ease tensions between its two close allies, before flying on to London to join President Donald Trump on his state visit to Britain.
There were no signs of U.S. frustration or annoyance with Israel’s latest moves, although Trump had made clear his displeasure with Israel’s unilateral strike on Hamas in Qatar, which is a close U.S. partner.
Both Netanyahu and Rubio said they agreed that the only way to end the conflict in Gaza is through the elimination of Hamas and the release of all hostages, setting aside calls for an interim ceasefire in favor of an immediate end to the conflict.
Rubio is in Israel to discuss with Netanyahu how Israel plans to proceed in Gaza and assess its interest in Qatar retaining a mediating role. The two said after their talks that the only way to peace is the complete destruction of Hamas and the return of all 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive.
As long as Hamas is around, “there will be no peace in this region because they are not agents of peace. They are agents of barbarism,” Rubio said.
“Your presence here in Israel today is a clear message that America stands with Israel. You stand with us in the face of terror,” said Netanyahu.
