US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern on Wednesday that the latest spate of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank could spill over and undermine US-backed peace efforts in Gaza.
"I hope not," Rubio told reporters after a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in Canada, when asked whether the West Bank events could endanger the Gaza ceasefire. "We don't expect it to. We'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen."
A reporter asked Rubio if there is any "progress on the International Stabilization Force (ISF)."
"We have a new draft, I think, that’s being worked on now. We feel optimistic that it’s going to happen. It needs to be done the right way, and obviously there’s a lot of different countries; you have to balance their interests here and how that’s structured beyond just the security force. So I think we’re making good progress on the language of the resolution, and hopefully we’ll have action on it very soon. We don’t want to lose momentum on this," he answered.
A follow-up question asked what ISF's role should be, including if it should be involved in counterterror raids against Hamas and other terror groups.
It "shouldn't be a fighting force," Rubio answered, adding that he means "it shouldn't have to be...but the question is who’s going to be standing on that line and beyond it to provide security, because you’re going to need security."
"There will have to be a force that provides just basic everyday security. That’s as much as anything else what the stabilization force’s role is, is to stabilize," he added.
"As far as demilitarization is concerned, that’s a commitment Hamas made. That’s a commitment all of our partners on this deal made. And we expect those countries – and they are – will at the appropriate time, including now, bring about pressure on Hamas to live up to that commitment," Rubio said.
"Eventually there will be Gaza, and none of it will be controlled by Hamas," he affirmed.
"There should be a civilian Palestinian organization that runs Gaza, and that’s the goal – is to stand that organization up, give it capacity, allow it to grow in both capability and credibility, and ultimately it will govern Gaza. The Israelis don’t want to govern Gaza. We don’t want to govern Gaza. No country in the Middle East wants to govern Gaza. But it’ll take some time to build up that capability, and in the interim someone has to provide security," he added.
US will have some good agreements to sign with Saudis next week, Rubio says
The United States will have some good deals to sign when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington next week and meets President Donald Trump, Rubio said.
"We'll have some good agreements to sign with them ... I feel good about where it's at. There's still a few things that need to be tightened up and finalized, and we're going to have a good meeting next week," he told reporters.
Rubio did not give details.
G7 joint statement on Gaza ceasefire, Iran nuclear sanctions
The G7 foreign ministers released a joint statement reiterating "strong support" for Trump's Gaza deal, welcoming the ceasefire, and return of hostages.
The statement "stressed the urgency of returning the remains of deceased hostages."
The ministers also "welcomed the increased flows of aid, but expressed concern about restrictions that remain in place," and "called on all parties to allow for humanitarian assistance without interference at scale, through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions and INGOs, as stipulated in President Trump’s plan."
In addition, the joint statement "urged Iran to fully implement its obligations both under UN Security Council resolutions and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons."
"Iran must resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, including enabling inspections of all nuclear facilities and materials," the ministers affirmed.
They called on Tehran to "engage in direct talks with the United States, supported by the E3 (UK, Germany, and France)," and for "all UN member states to adhere to their obligations following the legal implementation of the snapback mechanism."
US rebuilding relations with Damascus
A reporter asked Rubio whether the US is allowing Syria to resume embassy operations in Washington, and if the US is looking to resume embassy operations in Damascus.
"We want to give these guys every chance to succeed," he answered.
"They don’t want Syria to ever again be a base of operations for Iran, for ISIS, or for any of these groups. They want it to be a country, not a launching pad for attacks against their neighbors," he continued.
"And so we want to give them every chance to succeed in that regard. The alternative is that if it doesn’t work, if this doesn’t happen and it collapses, then the alternative is going to be that Syria will fall into civil war, and it will become a playground for virtually every dangerous element in the Middle East, and including a return of Iran, and it’ll even strengthen Hezbollah. So we don’t want to see that happen, so this is the best option on the table to prevent that from happening," he added.
"There are issues with the Kurds in the north. There are issues with Bedouin and Druze in the south. So there is concerns that Israel has about its own security. All these things have to be balanced," he affirmed.
Rubio says US offered to help India probe explosion in New Delhi
The US has offered to help India probe a fatal explosion in New Delhi, the capital, where authorities are carrying out a "very professional" investigation, Rubio said.
"We've offered to help, but I think they're very capable in these investigations. They don't need our help, and they're doing a good job," he told reporters after the G7 meeting.
Rubio denies reporting that UK cut off intel sharing over boat strikes
Rubio pushed back on reporting that Britain has stopped sharing intelligence on drug-trafficking vessels over concerns about US military strikes in the Caribbean, saying that nothing has changed that has impeded Washington's ability to act.
He said no one had raised the operations near Venezuela during the meeting and said Britain had not raised concerns directly with him.
Asked about a CNN report that Britain had suspended intelligence sharing, Rubio called it a "false story," without going into detail, and said the United States has a very strong partnership with the United Kingdom.