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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) greet each other during a joint press conference in Jerusalem on February 16, 2025.
(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Poll/AFP via Getty Images)
Rubio Touts Trump's Steadfast Support for Israel as it Blocks Aid to Gaza
Israel is being investigated for alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a fugitive from the International Criminal Court.
Mar 04, 2025
In a Tuesday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted the Trump administration's staunch support for Israel—which includes $4 billion in fresh fast-tracked military assistance—even as the key Mideast ally cuts off lifesaving humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the flattened Gaza Strip.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce summarized Rubio's call with the right-wing Israeli leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza:
Rubio spoke with... Netanyahu to underscore that the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for President [Donald] Trump, as shown by the recent announcement to expedite the delivery of nearly $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. The secretary thanked the prime minister for his cooperation with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to help free all remaining hostages and extend the cease-fire in Gaza. The secretary also conveyed that he anticipates close coordination in addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for a stable region.
Rubio's call with Netanyahu, which followed the Republican secretary of state's visit to Israel last month, came just two days after Netanyahu's government halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. People there are reeling after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, invasion, and siege that have obliterated the coastal enclave, killing at least 48,405 Palestinians, wounding more than 111,000 others, and forcibly displacing, starving, or sickening nearly all of the strip's approximately 2.3 million people, according to local and international agencies.
Netanyahu said the aid suspension was carried out "in full coordination with President Trump and his people."
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that "the gates of hell will be opened" on Gaza if Hamas, which rules the strip, does not free the dozens of Israeli and international hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Hamas has delayed their release due to what it claims are hundreds of Israeli violations of a January cease-fire agreement, including deadly attacks on civilians and the aid cutoff.
Katz, Netanyahu, and other Israeli leaders are among those named in an incitement to genocide complaint filed in January at the ICC by Israeli attorney Omer Shatz. Israel is also under investigation for alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Bruce's description of the Rubio-Netanyahu call does not mention the Palestinians or Gaza.
Last month, Trump
proposed a U.S. invasion and takeover of Gaza, which would be ethnically cleansed of Palestinians and transformed into what the president described as "the Riviera of the Middle East."
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benjamin netanyahucease-firedonald trumpgazahamasinternational court of justiceinternational criminal courtisraelisrael katzmarco rubiooctober 7palestinesteve witkoffu.s. state departmenttrump administration
In a Tuesday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted the Trump administration's staunch support for Israel—which includes $4 billion in fresh fast-tracked military assistance—even as the key Mideast ally cuts off lifesaving humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the flattened Gaza Strip.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce summarized Rubio's call with the right-wing Israeli leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza:
Rubio spoke with... Netanyahu to underscore that the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for President [Donald] Trump, as shown by the recent announcement to expedite the delivery of nearly $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. The secretary thanked the prime minister for his cooperation with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to help free all remaining hostages and extend the cease-fire in Gaza. The secretary also conveyed that he anticipates close coordination in addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for a stable region.
Rubio's call with Netanyahu, which followed the Republican secretary of state's visit to Israel last month, came just two days after Netanyahu's government halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. People there are reeling after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, invasion, and siege that have obliterated the coastal enclave, killing at least 48,405 Palestinians, wounding more than 111,000 others, and forcibly displacing, starving, or sickening nearly all of the strip's approximately 2.3 million people, according to local and international agencies.
Netanyahu said the aid suspension was carried out "in full coordination with President Trump and his people."
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that "the gates of hell will be opened" on Gaza if Hamas, which rules the strip, does not free the dozens of Israeli and international hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Hamas has delayed their release due to what it claims are hundreds of Israeli violations of a January cease-fire agreement, including deadly attacks on civilians and the aid cutoff.
Katz, Netanyahu, and other Israeli leaders are among those named in an incitement to genocide complaint filed in January at the ICC by Israeli attorney Omer Shatz. Israel is also under investigation for alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Bruce's description of the Rubio-Netanyahu call does not mention the Palestinians or Gaza.
Last month, Trump
proposed a U.S. invasion and takeover of Gaza, which would be ethnically cleansed of Palestinians and transformed into what the president described as "the Riviera of the Middle East."
In a Tuesday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted the Trump administration's staunch support for Israel—which includes $4 billion in fresh fast-tracked military assistance—even as the key Mideast ally cuts off lifesaving humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the flattened Gaza Strip.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce summarized Rubio's call with the right-wing Israeli leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza:
Rubio spoke with... Netanyahu to underscore that the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for President [Donald] Trump, as shown by the recent announcement to expedite the delivery of nearly $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. The secretary thanked the prime minister for his cooperation with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to help free all remaining hostages and extend the cease-fire in Gaza. The secretary also conveyed that he anticipates close coordination in addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for a stable region.
Rubio's call with Netanyahu, which followed the Republican secretary of state's visit to Israel last month, came just two days after Netanyahu's government halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. People there are reeling after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, invasion, and siege that have obliterated the coastal enclave, killing at least 48,405 Palestinians, wounding more than 111,000 others, and forcibly displacing, starving, or sickening nearly all of the strip's approximately 2.3 million people, according to local and international agencies.
Netanyahu said the aid suspension was carried out "in full coordination with President Trump and his people."
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that "the gates of hell will be opened" on Gaza if Hamas, which rules the strip, does not free the dozens of Israeli and international hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Hamas has delayed their release due to what it claims are hundreds of Israeli violations of a January cease-fire agreement, including deadly attacks on civilians and the aid cutoff.
Katz, Netanyahu, and other Israeli leaders are among those named in an incitement to genocide complaint filed in January at the ICC by Israeli attorney Omer Shatz. Israel is also under investigation for alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Bruce's description of the Rubio-Netanyahu call does not mention the Palestinians or Gaza.
Last month, Trump
proposed a U.S. invasion and takeover of Gaza, which would be ethnically cleansed of Palestinians and transformed into what the president described as "the Riviera of the Middle East."
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