Rubio and Netanyahu Talk it Out

February 17th, 2025

Harry Xu

This past Sunday, current Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his first official trip to the country since assuming the position. The main topic discussed in the meeting was Iran. Netanyahu said that “Iran's aggression in the region must be rolled back,” while Rubio agreed, stating that Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria’s destabilization, and other issues in the Middle East could be linked to Iran.

Israel currently aims to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In November, Iran announced that it would activate new centrifuges, which would enrich their supply of uranium. While Iran denies that the uranium will be used to develop their first nuclear weapon, Israel has doubts.

U.S. intelligence agencies reported last week that Israel is likely considering strikes towards Iran’s nuclear facilities this year. President Trump takes a different approach, as he recently announced a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran’s oil exports in an effort to stop their nuclear development. He has expressed that he is willing to negotiate and make a deal with the country’s leader, Ali Khamenei.

Rubio’s meeting coincided with the recent heavy MK-84 bombs shipment the U.S. sent to Israel. This contrasted the Biden administration’s restriction of these bombs; Biden wanted to exert leverage over Israel and was concerned that Israel could use the weapons in Gaza.

When asked about the shipment, Trump stated that he believed in “peace through strength.” On the contrary, Salama Maroof, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, vehemently said that the U.S. “supports the criminal occupation army with 1,800 heavy MK bombs.” Interestingly enough, previous Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Netanyahu in June of last year. While details aren’t fully known, Netanyahu stated that Blinken assured him that the U.S. was working hard to remove the weapons restrictions on Israel.

With the new Trump administration, the previous bombs restriction was quickly lifted. Israeli defense minister Israel Katz thanked the U.S. for their support. The contrast between the Biden and Trump administration’s foreign policy is highlighted through these shipments. While Blinken was on friendly terms with Netanyahu, Rubio’s visit and the bombs shipments to Israel highlight how the Trump administration supports Israel’s endeavors more.

Another topic discussed between the two was Syria’s regime. Rubio stated that the fall of Assad’s regime was “certainly promising and important,” but that “replacing one destabilizing force for another is not a positive development.” He said that he’ll be watching carefully as he develops a strategy on how to approach Syria.

Something to note is that Netanyahu and Rubio discussed international institutions’ “anti-American” and “anti-Israeli” views. Specifically, Netanyahu said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) “has outrageously libeled Israel and issued arrest warrants based on utter lies.” This statement possibly comes following the ICC issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last November due to him bearing responsibility for war crimes on civilians.

Tellingly, the same day of the meeting, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), an NGO supporting Palestine, called for an arrest warrant for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in the ICC. The HRF said that Sa’ar implemented many policies that led to attacks on Palestinian civilians. These arrest warrants against these Israeli leaders illustrate the thoughts others have towards Israel’s role in the thousands of deaths in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Overall, while the Middle East is currently in turmoil, this meeting marks the first time Rubio and Netanyahu discussed these issues together. The topics, whether it is about Iran’s nuclear weapons or Syria’s new regime, have led to the two finding a common interest about the future of the world. The meeting led to some insight on the Trump administration’s approach on foreign policy. It’s clear that they get along better with Israel than the Biden administration, but it’s still unclear what can happen in the future. Still, this meeting marked a promising start between the two countries, even if there’s a long way to go.