Recognising Palestine would strengthen Hamas, says Rubio
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Marco Rubio visit the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Old City, September 14, 2025 [Nathan Howard/Pool via Reuters]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the move of countries recognising a Palestinian state as “largely symbolic,” the Middle East Eye reported on September 15th.
Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio asserted that he believed the move by various nations to recognise a Palestinian state would be an obstacle to reaching peace.
Rubio said: “They have really no impact whatsoever about bringing us any closer to a Palestinian state.”
“The only impact they actually have is it makes Hamas feel more emboldened.”
Amid Israel’s ongoing attacks against Palestinians in Gaza, Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced their recognition of Palestine in May last year, joining 146 other nations in the UN.
In response to Israel’s continued war on Gaza, the UK and France have also said they would recognise a Palestinian state.
Standing next to Netanyahu, the US Secretary of State also used the visit to reaffirm his country’s “unwavering support” for Israel, while also condemning Hamas as “barbaric animals.”
He said: “The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated.”
The visit comes at a time when the fallout of Israel’s attack on the Hamas leadership on September 9th in Qatar continues.
Qatar, which is home to one of the region’s major US bases, is a strong US ally.
The US condemned Israel’s September 9th strike on Qatar, and Rubio said his country would continue to support Qatar’s “constructive role” in mediating in Gaza.
“We’re focused on what happens now, what happens next, and what role Qatar could potentially play in achieving an outcome,” he said, in reference to the Gaza conflict.
“We will continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in this regard.”
Netanyahu defended Israel’s attack on Qatar, comparing it to the move made by the US after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
He said: “We take full responsibility because we believe that terrorists should not be given safe haven, and that those who planned the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust should not be given immunity.”
Rubio used the visit to Israel to reaffirm that US President Donald Trump would continue his campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran, Israel’s regional rival.
He told the press conference: “A nuclear Iran governed by a radical Shiite cleric that possesses not just nuclear weapons potentially but the missiles that could deliver those weapons far away is an unacceptable risk, not just for Israel, not just for the United States, but for the world.”
“There will continue to be maximum economic pressure on Iran until they change course.”
More than 64,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023, with many more sustaining injuries as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Israel has rejected multiple ceasefire proposals, with the Israeli far-right urging Netanyahu to continue the war on Gaza until Hamas has been completely eliminated.
Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org
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