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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, with the consequences of Israel’s strike in Qatar being expected to be high on the agenda.
Last week, the strike, which headed for senior Hamas leaders on the territory of the Union of nearby US allies, attracted international outrage and was criticized by President Donald Trump.
Rubio said earlier: “We are obviously not satisfied with it. The President was not satisfied with it. Now we have to move forward and find out what is next.”
The meeting comes as Arab leaders hold a summit in showing support for Qatar. Its Prime Minister called on the international community to stop applying “double standards” and punish Israel.
The state in the Persian Gulf hosts a large air base in the United States and played a key role in the mediation of diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza war, serving as an intermediary of the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
On Sunday, Netanyahu told reporters that the connection between the United States and Israel was as “durable as the stones in the west wall”, while he and Rubio made a brief visit to the holy place in the old town of Jerusalem.
During the visit – to which they were accompanied by the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Hukabi – Rubio wrote a note and placed it on the wall. Both men ignored reporters’ questions focused on Israel’s strike in Qatar.
The Israeli military plans to conquer Gaza and the continuous expansion of Israel settlements in the occupied West coast are also expected to be discussed.
Over the weekend, the Israeli military pressed forward with the destruction of residential buildings in Gaza, and according to the Israeli media – is now ready to start ground operations in the western neighborhoods of the city.
The Israeli military demanded the residents of Gaza to leave and head south to the central area of ​​the strip. He estimated that about 250,000 Palestinians had fled, although hundreds of thousands were thought to remain in the area.
Some residents who cannot afford to go south while others say that South Gaza is not safe as Israel also made air strikes there. Some say they tried to go south, but failed to put their tents, so they returned to Gaza.
The meeting comes before the UN General Assembly meeting next week, at which some leading allies of the United States – including the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium – are expected to recognize the state of Palestine.
