WASHINGTON (Reuters) -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.
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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; Editing by Rami Ayyub)
