President Donald Trump's top diplomat Marco Rubio will fly to Israel this weekend amid tensions among fellow U.S. allies in the Middle East over Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Marco Rubio © Mena Today
President Donald Trump's top diplomat Marco Rubio will fly to Israel this weekend amid tensions among fellow U.S. allies in the Middle East over Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement that Rubio would depart on Saturday to visit Israel before joining up with President Donald Trump's planned visit to Britain next week.
Rubio in Israel will emphasize Washington and Israel's shared goals of ensuring Hamas never rules Gaza again and returning hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that sparked Israel's war in Gaza, Pigott said.
Rubio and Israeli leaders will also discuss "our commitment to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism, and lawfare at the ICC and ICJ," Pigott said.
Reporting by Simon Lewis
Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington on Friday following several days of talks to secure an end to fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, though both sides framed the deal as an initial step.
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed the joint declaration issued Thursday following the ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States, describing it as a significant endorsement of Beirut's sovereign diplomatic path.
Israel's former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who lost a son in Gaza and boasts of his "Dahiyeh doctrine" of smashing foes with disproportionate force, is surging in polls and could oust Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister in a coming election.
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