Jerusalem, Feb 17 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem, said that Israel and the US are working “in full cooperation” on issues concerning the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said he and Rubio had a “very productive” discussion on US President Donald Trump’s “bold vision for Gaza’s future,” which includes relocating Gaza’s Palestinian population to neighbouring countries and turning the enclave into the “riviera” of the Middle East, Xinhua news agency reported.
Thanking the US for its “unequivocal” support for Israel’s policies in Gaza, Netanyahu said he and Trump “have a common strategy,” while noting that “we can’t 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 our hostages are not released until the last one of them.”
Netanyahu also emphasised US-Israel coordination regarding Iran, saying the two countries “work shoulder to shoulder” to counter Tehran’s nuclear program and regional military activities. He added both sides agreed that Iran “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 need to be released,” adding, “That must happen. It’s not optional.”
According to Rubio, Trump “has been very clear that Hamas cannot continue as a government (governing body) or military force,” arguing that as long as the group remains in power, “peace becomes impossible.”
“It must be eradicated, it must be eliminated,” he said.
Rubio also defended Trump’s vision for Gaza’s future, calling it “something new” that requires “courage and vision.”
Rubio arrived in Israel late on Saturday on his first trip to the Middle East since taking office, as Trump’s proposal on Gaza faced rejection and condemnation from states in the region.
–IANS
int/rs
