Mr. Rubio also “congratulated the Prime Minister on Israel’s successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged to work tirelessly to help free all hostages still held in Gaza,” the spokesperson said. of the State Department, Tammy Bruce, in a statement Wednesday.
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas began implementing a ceasefire last Sunday in the war that has opposed them for 15 months in the Gaza Strip and which provides for an exchange of hostages and prisoners.
This agreement in several stages was outlined in May by Joe Biden, the Democratic predecessor in the White House of Donald Trump, then finally concluded thanks to the joint efforts of the diplomatic teams of both.
Telephone with Riyadh
The new American president, however, revealed on Monday, a few hours after his inauguration, that he was “not sure” that the truce in Gaza would hold.
In one of his first decisions, President Trump also ended the sanctions imposed by Joe Biden on extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank because of their attacks against the Palestinians.
-The American Secretary of State also spoke on Wednesday with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The latter spoke directly with Donald Trump, according to Saudi diplomacy.
“The Secretary of State and the Crown Prince discussed the strength of the U.S.-Saudi partnership during this time of significant change,” according to a separate statement. The secretary of state said he “looked forward to advancing common interests in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and beyond.”
President Trump has expressed optimism that Saudi Arabia will formally recognize Israel in exchange for a defense pact with Washington and help for a civilian nuclear program.
Later, Mr. Rubio also contacted his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, according to the State Department.
World
