The US Secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is in Israel for a two-day state visit.
He has held talks in with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at limiting the diplomatic damage to both countries by Israel’s attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar, its continued demolition of Gaza, and the accelerated expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu took Rubio on a tour of the Western Wall, where both men placed written prayers between the stones, before taking his American visitor underground to view archeological excavations.
Netanyahu said that Rubio’s visit shows the resilience of the US-Israeli relationship, telling reporters, “This alliance has never been stronger.” He added, “It’s as strong, as durable as the stones in the Western Wall that we just touched.”
“Under [US] President [Donald] Trump, and Secretary Rubio, this alliance has never been stronger, and we deeply appreciate it.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
On Monday, September 15, 2025, Rubio is due to visit the City of David archaeological park, which has been established by a settler group in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.
It includes a tunnel excavated under Palestinian homes which is supposed to mark the path taken by pilgrims to the Jewish temple in the Roman era. Critics say that the park is an example of archeology being used in the service of politics.
Rubio is being accompanied on his tour by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister who has been a fervent supporter of settler and Israeli territorial expansionism.
Rubio To Convey Trump’s Irritation At Israeli Strike On Doha
Part of his mission on this two-day visit is to convey Donald Trump’s irritation at the Tuesday’s Israeli missile strike on Doha which was aimed at Hamas leadership but killed their aides and a Qatari security officer.
The attack has shaken faith among Washington’s allies in the Arab world that the US can protect them, and particularly infuriated Qatar, a close ally who the US has encouraged to host Hamas officials and broker negotiations.
On the eve of an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders called by Qatar, its Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani urged the international community to “stop using double standards” and punish Israel for what he described as its “crimes.”
However, Rubio has signalled that he intends to balance criticism of Israel with a message of broad support for Israel, at a time it is facing ever broader accusations of genocide, an arrest warrant for Netanyahu from the international criminal court, and a looming UN general assembly summit next week, at which some other leading US allies including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are expected to recognise Palestine.
Rubio, before his visit to Israel, discussed the Qatar strike with reporters.
“Obviously, we’re not happy about it. The President was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next.”
Marco Rubio
He added, however, that the incident was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis.”
Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government is seeking to play down any rift with the Trump administration over the Doha strike, while remaining defiant over the attack.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said on Israeli army radio, “We have a very close dialogue with the administration.”
“We’re coordinated with them and, relatively speaking, the American reaction was reasonable. At the UN security council they expressed reservations, but the reservations were minor. We took into account that this would have a price.”
Danny Danon
After Israel, Rubio is due to fly to the UK for Trump’s state visit.
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