Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a diplomatic solution for Gaza may not be possible, comments that came as Israel’s genocidal war in the Strip continues to rage with full US backing.
Rubio blamed the lack of a deal on Hamas, even though Israel just bombed Hamas officials in Qatar, the country that has been mediating the ceasefire talks. Hamas officials said the strikes hit while they were gathered to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal from the US.
Israeli media has also reported that Netanyahu has been the impediment to a deal and has thwarted a potential ceasefire deal at least seven times.
“We have to remember who we’re dealing with here, and that is a group of people that have dedicated their lives to violence and barbarism,” Rubio said. “And when you’re confronting that hard reality, as much as we may wish that there be a sort of a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we’ll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that that’s not going to happen.”
Rubio offered no criticism of the Israeli bombing of Qatar during the ceasefire negotiations. When asked about the strikes, Rubio said, “We are focused on what happens now, what happens next, what role could Qatar play possibly in reaching an outcome here that leads not just to the end of this hostility, not just to the release of all of the hostages both living and deceased, not just the disarmament and elimination of Hamas, but also a better future for the people of Gaza, which isn’t possible as long as Hamas exists.”
A day earlier, Rubio visited the Western Wall in the Old City of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. “I think his visit here is a testament to the durability, the strength of the Israeli-American alliance,” Netanyahu told reporters at the wall. “It’s as strong, as durable as the stones in the Western Wall that he just touched. Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio and their entire team, this alliance has never been stronger.”
