By Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will fly to Israel this weekend amid tensions with fellow U.S. allies in the Middle East over Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Friday that Rubio would depart on Saturday to visit Israel before joining up with Trump's planned visit to Britain next week.
Rubio in Israel will emphasize Washington and Israel's shared goals, Pigott said in a statement, citing the need to ensure Hamas never rules Gaza again and the return of hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by militants that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s nearly two-year-long campaign in response has killed more than 64,000 people in the Palestinian enclave, according to local authorities. It has also led to allegations Israel is committing genocide, including this month by the world's biggest group of genocide scholars.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha on Tuesday, in what U.S. officials described as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close U.S. ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
Rubio’s visit comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month, where countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state.
The United Arab Emirates warned last week that doing so would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
Rubio and Israeli leaders will discuss "our commitment to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism, and lawfare at the ICC and ICJ," Pigott said.
He was referring to the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest, and the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide.
"The Secretary will also meet with the families of hostages and underscore that their relatives’ return remains a top priority," Pigott said.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Nia Williams)
