US Foreign Minister Flies To Israel Amid Tensions Middle East After Attack On Doha

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio/PHOTO Embassy of the United States of America to Italy via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Israel this weekend amid tensions with other US allies in the Middle East over Israeli attacks on Hamas leaders in Qatar.

Deputy State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio would depart on Saturday, September 13, to visit Israel before joining Trump's planned visit to Britain next week.

Rubio di Israel akan menekankan tujuan bersama Washington dan Israel, kata Pigott dalam pernyataan dilansir Reuters, Jumat, 12 September.

Pigott said it was necessary to ensure Hamas was never again in control of Gaza and the return of the hostages held hostage in the October 7, 2023 attack by militants in Israel that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the arrest of 251 hostages, according to Israeli data.

Israel's nearly two-year military operations in response have killed more than 64,000 people in the Palestinian area, according to local authorities.

This also sparked accusations that Israel committed genocide, including this month by the world's largest group of genocidal experts.

Israel attempted to killHamaspolitical leaders with airstrikes on Doha on Tuesday, in what US officials described as a unilateral escalation that does not benefit America or Israel's interests.

The attack on the US near allied region sparked widespread condemnation from other Arab countries and thwarted a ceasefire as well as hostage-taking negotiations brokered by Qatar.

Rubio's visit comes ahead of a high-level meeting at the United Nations (UN) in New York later this month, where countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Washington said the confession would strengthen Hamas, and Rubio had hinted the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank pursued by members of the Israeli government's hardline.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push for plans to expand settlements that will cross the West Bank land Palestinians are fighting for for state sovereignty.

The United Arab Emirates warned last week that the move would cross borders and undermine the US-brokered Abrahamic Agreement, which normalizes UAE-Israeli relations by 2020.

Rubio and Israeli leaders will discuss "commitment to counter anti-Israeli actions, including unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state that benefits Hamas terrorism, and legal battles at the ICC and ICJ," Pigott said.

He referred to the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, and the International Court, which ordered Israel to take action to prevent genocide.

"The Foreign Minister will also meet with the families of the hostages and underline that the repatriation of their relatives remains a top priority," Pigott said.