Contrary to earlier reports, sources say Rubio won’t attend meeting in France on post-war Gaza

Contrary to earlier reports, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be attending a meeting of foreign ministers organized by France in Paris tomorrow on Gaza’s post-war transition, Channel 12 reports, citing three sources with knowledge.

Over the past day, Israel requested from US President Donald Trump’s administration that Washington not take part in the meeting, fearing it could divert progress on Trump’s plan for ending the war and undermine the ongoing negotiations in Egypt between Israel and Hamas, an Israeli official tells the Hebrew network.

Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, was slated to attend the summit, which Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called “unnecessary and harmful” earlier this evening.

“‏We see this as another attempt by [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron to divert attention from his internal problems at the expense of Israel,” Sa’ar had written on X.

Macron has for months faced sharp Israeli criticism for spearheading a joint French–Saudi initiative urging Western nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state and advance a long-term framework for a two-state solution.