Rubio reiterates Trump’s ‘steadfast support’ for Israel on call with Saar
The newly sworn-in US secretary of state spoke with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday and “congratulated” him on the “recently freed [captives] and the ceasefire agreement in Gaza”.
Rubio “pledged to work tirelessly to help free all remaining [captives] held in Gaza and welcomed continued flow of aid into Gaza”, according to a US State Department statement on their call.
He also “commended” Saar on Israel’s “successes against Hamas and [Hezbollah]”.
The conversation between Rubio and Saar closely echoed an earlier call on Wednesday between Rubio and Netanyahu, which was the first between the Israeli prime minister and a top Trump aide since the new administration took office on Monday.
Trump presidency gives Israel ‘historic opportunity’ for West Bank ‘annexation’
Israel’s intensified military incursions in the occupied West Bank, in parallel with escalating settler violence, represents its latest push to extend its grip further into Palestinian territory, says analyst Mohamad Elmasry.
“This is just more of the same,” Elmasry, a professor in the media studies programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera. “Israel has been saying for decades that they’re just fighting terrorism, but that’s kind of a smokescreen. What Israel wants to do and has been doing is expanding into the West Bank.
“There are more than 750,000 illegal Israeli settlers and it’s been policy of the Israeli state to expand, slowly but surely, into Palestinian territory,” Elmasry added.
The election of US President Donald Trump, who has appointed high-level diplomats that openly back Israel’s claims to the West Bank, now represents a “historic opportunity” for Israel to push their agenda further than before, he said.
“I think many Israelis, including the political elite, see the Trump administration as a historic opportunity to expand into the West Bank like they never have before and to annex as much of it as possible.”
US private security contractors to operate Gaza checkpoint: Reports
Armed US private security contractors will take up a monitoring role in Gaza, conducting vehicle checks as forcibly displaced Palestinians move from southern Gaza back to their homes in the north of the war-shattered territory, according to reports.
The New York Times and news site Axios reported on Thursday that the planned deployment of US private security is expected to begin in the coming days and is part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Axios said the contractors will “operate in Gaza as part of a multinational consortium” agreed under the ceasefire deal and will inspect vehicles at the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the Gaza Strip into two and is located just south of Gaza City.
“The consortium’s role is to oversee, manage, and secure a critical vehicle checkpoint along Salah al-Din Road, facilitating the safe return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza,” a source familiar with the issue told Axios.
“The consortium aims to ensure orderly vehicle movement while preventing the transport of weapons northward, in line with the ceasefire terms,” the source said.
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