TEL AVIV: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, during a visit to Israel, that Washington would remain steadfast in its support for its ally in the Gaza war and called for the eradication of Hamas. "The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated," Rubio told reporters next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "You can count on our unwavering support."
Netanyahu said Rubio's visit was a "clear message" the United States stood with Israel and praised President Donald Trump for his backing, calling him the "greatest friend that Israel has ever had". Rubio criticised plans by Western nations to recognise a Palestinian state, saying they "emboldened" Hamas. "They're largely symbolic... the only impact they actually have is it makes Hamas feel more emboldened," he said.
Rubio had said he would discuss with Netanyahu Israeli plans to seize Gaza City, the territory's largest urban centre, as well as the government's talk of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank in hopes of precluding a Palestinian state. The secretary of state had also said Trump wanted the Gaza war to be "finished with" — which would mean the release of hostages and ensuring Hamas is "no longer a threat".
But talks were made more difficult last week when the Trump administration was caught off guard by an Israeli attack in Qatar against Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza. "We sent a message to terrorists: you can run but you cannot hide," Netanyahu said on Monday. The "raid didn't fail. It had one central message." Rubio said Washington would continue to tell Qatar to press on with its efforts as an intermediary in the Gaza war. "We're going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard," Rubio said.
Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed another 25 people on Monday, all but one in Gaza City, said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil defence agency. The health ministry in Gaza said the Israelis were pushing more people into the already overcrowded Al Mawasi, which lacks basics such as food and water and where disease is spreading. Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,905 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Trump, for years a fervent defender of Netanyahu, has voiced support for Qatar, which is home to the largest US air base in the region and has assiduously courted the US president, including by gifting a luxury jet. "Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be careful. When we attack people we have to be careful," he said on Sunday. Qatar has, along with Egypt and the United States, led mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas.
But the United States has not joined European powers in pressing Israel to end the offensive, who fear it will aggravate the already severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of its 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once since the outbreak of the war. Despite the objections over the Qatar strike, Rubio opened the visit on Sunday with a highly symbolic show of support as he joined Netanyahu at the Western Wall. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
