Jerusalem (TDI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem, said on Sunday Israel and the United States are working “in full cooperation” on issues concerning the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he and Rubio had a “very productive” discussion on President Donald Trump’s “bold vision for Gaza’s future,” which includes relocating Gaza population to neighboring nations and turning the enclave into the “Riviera” of the Middle East.
Thanking Washington for its “unwavering” support for Israel’s policies in Gaza, Netanyahu stated he and Trump “have a common strategy,” while noting that “we cannot always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell will be opened, as they surely will if all Israeli hostages are not freed.”
Netanyahu emphasized that US-Israel coordination regarding Iran, saying the two nations were working jointly to counter Tehran’s nuclear program and military activities in the region.
He added both sides agreed that Tehran “must not have nuclear weapons” and that “Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back.”
Rubio, in his remarks, said the hostages still held in Gaza “need to come home, they must be released.
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He said that Trump “has been very clear that Hamas cannot continue as a governing body or military force,” arguing that as long as the group remains in power, “peace becomes impossible.”
“It must be eliminated and eradicated,” he said.
Rubio also defended Trump’s vision for Gaza’s future, declaring it “something new” that needs “courage and vision.”
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Rubio arrived in Israel late on Saturday on his first visit to the Middle East since taking office, as Trump’s proposal on Gaza faced rejection and condemnation from countries in the region.
