Rubio to Visit Israel Amid Escalating Regional Tensions

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 — In a move reflecting deepening regional complexities, US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will head to Israel this weekend following increased tensions among Washington’s Middle East allies. His visit comes on the heels of Israel’s controversial airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and renewed settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

According to State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio departs today and will meet Israeli leaders before joining Trump’s upcoming trip to Britain.

Rubio’s mission, Pigott said, is focused on reinforcing the shared US-Israel goals: preventing Hamas from regaining control of Gaza and ensuring the safe return of hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attacks—an incident that claimed 1,200 lives and saw 251 people abducted, according to Israeli figures.

In retaliation, Israel’s nearly two-year campaign in Gaza has, according to Palestinian authorities, left over 64,000 dead, created a devastating humanitarian crisis, and sparked international accusations of genocide. The latest condemnation has come from the world’s largest association of genocide scholars, further intensifying the scrutiny on Israel’s conduct.

Rubio’s diplomatic balancing act also includes his recent White House meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. This comes just days after Israel’s airstrike in Doha, which aimed at Hamas political leadership—a unilateral move that US officials criticized as counterproductive and damaging to both US and Israeli interests.

The strike, carried out on Qatari soil—a key US ally—derailed ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations, and drew sharp rebukes from regional powers, illustrating the fragile balance Rubio must navigate during his visit.

Adding to the diplomatic storm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on an aggressive settlement expansion plan on Thursday, slicing through territory envisioned for a future Palestinian state. The United Arab Emirates swiftly warned that such actions cross a red line, threatening the Abraham Accords—a key US-brokered normalization pact signed in 2020.

With international pressure mounting, Rubio’s Israel visit is also intended to confront growing support for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN meetings in New York. While countries like France and Britain signal readiness to recognize Palestinian statehood, Washington insists that such moves embolden Hamas and could accelerate annexation efforts championed by Israel’s far-right factions.

Rubio is expected to address international legal challenges faced by Israel, including the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu and the International Court of Justice’s orders for Israel to prevent acts of genocide.

Before boarding his flight, Rubio also met with families of hostages still held by Hamas, offering a deeply emotional prelude to what may be one of the most complex diplomatic visits of his career.