Secretary of State Marco Rubio will depart Saturday for Israel and the United Kingdom on a trip framed by U.S. unease with Israel’s recent escalation in Gaza and a regional backlash against its strike in Doha.
In a State Department press note, deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio will use the visit to “convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Israeli security.”
He added that Rubio, a former U.S. Senator from Miami, will underscore Washington’s shared goals with Israel: preventing Hamas from ever regaining control of Gaza and bringing home the remaining hostages.
It’s Rubio’s second reported visit to Israel since becoming Secretary of State in January. His first came in mid-February, after President Donald Trump — whom he’ll join next week in the U.K. — suggested Egypt and Jordan should accept displaced Palestinians as Israel continued its military campaign in Gaza.
The new trip follows an Israeli airstrike in Qatar earlier this week that sought to kill Hamas leaders but reportedly instead left several militants and a Qatari security official dead.
The attack, which occurred during ongoing ceasefire negotiations, drew condemnation from Arab states and sparked rare public criticism from Trump, who told reporters Tuesday he was “very unhappy” with the operation.
U.S. officials said the strike did not advance American or Israeli interests, while Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani accused Israel of sabotaging peace talks. Trump planned to meet with Al-Thani on Friday in New York, a White House official said.
“This was a decision made by (Israeli) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” the President wrote online Wednesday.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals. … However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
Despite the tension, Rubio will hold meetings with Israeli leaders to discuss operational objectives in Gaza, where Israel’s nearly two-year military campaign has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
He is expected to stress Washington’s opposition to international recognition of a Palestinian state, which the administration argues would reward Hamas, and legal cases against Israel at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
Rubio is also to meet with families of Israeli hostages to highlight that their relatives’ safe return remains a top U.S. priority.
The trip comes days before United Nations meetings where several U.S. allies, including France and Britain, are preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood — a move Washington opposes.
Netanyahu has threatened further action against Qatar if it continues to host Hamas, while his government has pressed ahead with settlement expansion plans in the West Bank.
Critics warn the measures risk inflaming tensions across the region and undermining the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
Following his stop in Israel, Rubio will travel to London to join Trump for the President’s second state visit to the U.K. He plans to meet with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss U.S.-U.K. cooperation on global challenges, including the war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program, hostage negotiations in Gaza and competition with China.
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