Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to Press

QUESTION:  What is your message for the prime minister on this journey?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, look, the U.S.-Israeli relationship could be very robust.  It continues to be robust.  The President desires this battle to finish.  He desires all of the hostages out, all 48 of them, residing and deceased.  Obviously we’re involved that occasions final week, he didn’t like the way in which it went down.  He’s expressed that publicly.  There’s concern that maybe that might – we’ll speak about what influence it’s going to have on efforts to get all of the hostages again, eliminate Hamas, finish this warfare.  That’s the President’s precedence.

QUESTION:  What leverage can the U.S. carry to bear on that? 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I don’t learn about leverage.  Look, I imply, our relationship with Israel could be very robust; everyone is aware of that.  I wouldn’t name it leverage.  I do assume we’ve got affect, I feel as a result of we’ve labored on so many issues collectively.  So we’ll be there to specific that and in addition to specific the President’s views, which is that he desires Hamas defeated, he desires the warfare to finish, he desires all 48 hostages dwelling, together with these which are deceased, and he desires it all of sudden.  Like, he desires all of the hostages now, not 5 and 10 and piecemeal.  And we’ll have to debate about how the occasions final week had an influence on the power to realize that in brief order.

QUESTION:  I imply, do you assume Hamas may nonetheless make it – may Hamas —

QUESTION:  The Taliban simply mentioned – the Taliban simply mentioned that their – oh.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I’ll get to you.  Go forward.

QUESTION:  Oh.  The Taliban is placing out phrase that the U.S. has agreed to a prisoner swap, Mr. Secretary.  Do you understand something about that?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I don’t know – look, our particular envoy for the unlawfully detained has been having conversations for some time.  I feel he went there to discover what’s potential.  Obviously it’ll be the President’s resolution by way of any trades or any exchanges.  But we most definitely need any Americans or anybody who’s being unlawfully detained to be launched.  And so he went there to discover what that might appear like. 

QUESTION:  Are you totally supportive of an offensive into Gaza City?  What are you going to speak to the Israelis about on that – in that regard?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, I don’t know if we should always get into that.  I imply, I’m not going to get into that within the media aside from to say the President desires this to be completed with, and “finished with” that means 48 hostages launched all of sudden, Hamas now not a menace so we are able to transfer on to the subsequent section, which is how do you rebuild Gaza, how do you present safety, how do you ensure Hamas or something prefer it by no means comes again once more.  That’s the President’s precedence.  That’s at all times been his precedence.  And that’s what we’re going to attempt to transfer ahead on.  And a part of what we’re going to have to debate as a part of this go to is how the occasions of final week with Qatar influence that.

QUESTION:  And do you assume the Qataris will nonetheless work with the U.S., take —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I met with them – the Vice President and I met with the prime minister yesterday.  I do know that they had dinner with the President final evening.  So we’ve got a relationship with them as properly that’s necessary on a variety of issues with them.  They’ve been, for instance, very useful on the DRC-Rwanda, with the implementation.  They have hosted these talks.  So we had a go to there earlier this yr.  I did (inaudible) a second time with the President.  So they’ve been good companions on a variety of issues.

QUESTION:  What in regards to the (inaudible), Mr. Secretary?  Were there any questions or (inaudible)?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No, I didn’t – it by no means got here up with me or in any conversations we had.

QUESTION:  Are you involved in any respect that they might observe by way of on their menace to do strikes once more in Qatar?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Who’s this, the Israelis?

QUESTION:  The Israelis.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah.  Look, we’re going to fulfill with them.  We’re going to speak about what the longer term holds and what the – we – I’m going to get a significantly better understanding of what their plans are shifting ahead.  What’s occurred has occurred.  Obviously we’re not completely satisfied about it, the President was not completely satisfied about it.  Now we have to transfer ahead and work out what comes subsequent.  Because on the finish of the day, when all is claimed and achieved, there may be nonetheless a bunch referred to as Hamas, which is an evil group that also has weapons and is terrorizing; there are nonetheless 48 hostages that should be launched instantly, all of sudden; and there may be nonetheless the laborious work forward of, as soon as this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a manner that gives individuals a top quality of life that all of them need.  And who’s going to do this?  And who’s going to pay for it?  And who’s going to be accountable for it? 

So all that work remains to be there to be achieved.  All that also must be handled.

QUESTION:  You appeared sad.  Does that imply you ask the – will you ask the Israelis not to do that once more?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Look, I feel the President’s feedback communicate for themselves on that entrance.  And he didn’t like the way in which it went down.  But that mentioned, it’s not going to shake – our relationship with Israel goes to stay robust.  And typically issues occur or come up in these relationships that maybe we’re not one hundred pc aligned with, or sad.  But it’s not going to alter the character of our relationship with the Israelis.  But we’re going to have to speak about it.  Primarily, what influence does this have – what occurred, what influence does which have shifting ahead?

QUESTION:  Should Israel withdraw its troops from Gaza City and this operation, Gideon’s Chariots?  Should they pull again from that invasion?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, we’re not speaking about that or something of that nature.  I imply, that definitely gained’t be what I’m going to speak.  We simply wish to know what comes subsequent.  How can we get the 48 hostages out; what’s the plan to defeat Hamas so we are able to get to the subsequent section. 

QUESTION:  You mentioned that nothing was – oh, go forward.

QUESTION:  There’s (inaudible) settlements have been acknowledged the opposite day, and Netanyahu mentioned and acknowledged, signed up on (inaudible), and other people saying which means principally there’s no Palestinian state sooner or later. 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah.  Look, I feel a part of that’s the response to – that’s an Israeli response to efforts world wide to acknowledge a Palestinian state, together with from nations in Europe and Canada and others which have signed on to this factor.  I feel it comes on the precipice of those conferences on the UN the place it’s going to change into a subject.  So I feel that’s the Israeli response to that.  And we warned them.  We warned a variety of these nations world wide that that’s what would occur, or what we thought would possibly occur, in the event that they went forward with this.

So I’m certain that’ll come up within the dialog.  That’s all I’m going to say about it for now.

QUESTION:  Isn’t it simply doing extra to inflame tensions with Palestinians and get additional away from the —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, all of it started when these teams – when these nations begin going on the market and doing this recognition of the Palestinian state, we advised them there’s going to be a counterreaction to that by the Israelis, and I feel that’s what you’ve seen.  So we’re going to speak about that holistically by way of the way it impacts everything of it.  I’m certain it’s a subject of dialog. 

QUESTION:  On Colombia?

QUESTION:  Have you decided but about whether or not or not you’ll certify them?  I do know that deadline is developing on the —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, we’ll have – we’d have an announcement on that subsequent week.

QUESTION:  Will you inaugurate this tunnel on the Temple Mount on Tuesday there have been stories about?  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, let me inform you, the City of David is separate.  I intend to go to that.  I’ve been to that earlier than, a few years.  That’s an archaeological website.  It’s one of the necessary archaeological websites on the earth.  I’ve visited it quite a few instances prior to now.  I perceive individuals wish to contain politics in it.  I perceive all the things on this area is political to some extent.  But on the finish of the day, it’s a rare archaeological website.  It simply is, and I feel an necessary one for a number of faiths. 

QUESTION:  Qatar, I feel beginning Monday, goes to fulfill with regional allies within the Gulf to speak about or give you a response to the assaults.  Are you going to carry a message to the prime minister about that? 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, we talked to him just a little bit about it yesterday.  I’m undecided that he had settled on precisely what it’s they’re going to ask of their allies within the area.  I don’t assume it’s breaking information that a number of nations within the area had been upset about what occurred, or sad about it.  Obviously we’re not going to be at that assembly.  We don’t – I don’t assume they’ve but settled on precisely what it’s they’re going to lift as their message at that assembly.  But our focus now could be shifting ahead, what comes subsequent.  Because when all is claimed and achieved, regardless of what occurred earlier this week in Qatar, in Doha, we nonetheless need to cope with the 48 hostages they usually have to be launched.  We nonetheless need to cope with Hamas, which no person within the area desires to see keep in place.  And we nonetheless need to cope with, when that’s settled and achieved, how do you rebuild Gaza in order that this – in a manner that this by no means occurs once more. 

All proper, let’s get – let’s go.  One extra. 

QUESTION:  Yes.  Has the U.S. made any closing willpower or made any extra resolution in regards to the Russian drone incursion into Poland, whether or not it was intentional or —

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, there’s nonetheless a variety of gathering occurring.  In respect of it shouldn’t have occurred – I don’t assume anyone’s completely satisfied about seeing it occur.  You noticed NATO reply to it appropriately.  We don’t wish to see it occur once more.  We assume it’s a unacceptable and unlucky and harmful improvement on this regard.  I feel it’ll take just a few extra days for everyone to totally – the drones had been deliberately launched.  There’s little question in regards to the drones had been deliberately launched.  The query is whether or not the drones had been focused to enter Poland particularly.  If that’s the case – that the proof leads us there – then clearly that’ll be a extremely escalatory transfer.  There are a variety of different potentialities as properly.  But I feel we’d wish to have all of the info and seek the advice of with our allies earlier than we make particular determinations.

We’re being bombarded right here by some sort of (inaudible) on e mail.

All proper, guys, let’s get out of right here.

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, to ask you when you’re going to, you assume, attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral providers subsequent weekend?  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yes, I intend to, assuming – I consider we’ll be again in time for it.  Charlie was an important younger man.  I obtained to know him fairly properly, truly.  In truth, I had spoken to him as late as final Thursday.  I consider he was in Korea, in South Korea, and was getting back from South Korea.  So he was a – and look, I admired all of the stuff he mentioned and did on campuses.  I feel he had an unlimited affect on younger individuals. 

Primarily, I feel essentially the most ironic half about all of the Charlie Kirk state of affairs, the tragedy, is he was truly one of many few individuals on the market that was engaged.  Lots of people exit and provides speeches.  He was truly engaged in back-and-forth, I felt very respectful debate with folks that disagreed with him.  He knew and invited individuals to disagree with him – not simply on faculty campuses, however on podcasts and interviews.  He had individuals on his present and he would go on different individuals’s exhibits.  I feel we really need extra of that dialogue and discourse.  And so I feel it’s tragic and ironic on the similar time that one of many few individuals on the market that was engaged in that type of debate forwards and backwards on these subjects, a few of that are extremely emotional and extremely divisive, however nonetheless was verbally engaged, that that’s one of many voices that somebody tried to go and silence by way of this horrible tragedy.

Okay.  Thank you.

QUESTION:  Thank you a lot.