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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has officially arrived in Israel amid strained relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump following Israeli strikes in Qatar.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Last week, Israel launched an airstrike in Doha, Qatar, targeting senior Hamas leaders whom Israeli officials claim were instrumental in planning and orchestrating the October 7 attacks. Israel defended the strike as a necessary and justified action against high-value terrorist operatives operating with impunity abroad. The move caught the US off guard, as it was not notified in advance. This prompted a rare public rebuke from the Trump administration, which stated the strike was “not helpful” to US or Israeli strategic interests and risked derailing sensitive hostage negotiations. President Trump, who reportedly first learned of the strike through US military channels rather than from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was said to be furious, leading to two tense phone calls between the leaders in the days that followed. In the wake of the incident, Trump met in New York with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in an effort to repair diplomatic fallout and maintain Qatari cooperation in the region.

What’s going on now: Secretary of State Marco Rubio touched down in Israel on Sunday morning, kicking off a high-profile, week-long visit aimed at navigating the deepening crisis in Gaza, advancing hostage negotiations, and reaffirming the US-Israel alliance amid growing diplomatic friction. According to the State Department, Rubio’s trip is centered on sensitive talks with Israeli leadership regarding the path forward in the war, including plans for a potential ground offensive in Gaza City and fallout from the Israeli strike in Qatar.

Rubio began his visit with a stop at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, accompanied by Prime Minister Netanyahu, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, and their spouses. There, Rubio placed a handwritten prayer into the ancient stones, calling for peace in Israel and the wider world. Netanyahu, standing beside Rubio, seized the opportunity to reaffirm the strength of US-Israeli relations, calling the alliance “as durable and strong as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched.”

Although Rubio did not address reporters directly during the visit, he made his message clear before departing Washington, telling journalists that President Trump remains committed to defeating Hamas, ending the war swiftly, and securing the return of all 48 hostages, both living and deceased. Rubio also acknowledged Trump’s frustration over the Israeli strike in Qatar, calling it a setback to ongoing diplomacy, but emphasized that the US-Israel alliance remains intact.

This all comes as several major Western nations prepare to formally recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session, a move expected to intensify diplomatic pressure on Israel and complicate US efforts to manage the conflict. Countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and others are reportedly coordinating their announcements to send a unified message supporting Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution.