Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Rubio arrives for meeting with Netanyahu, his first as US secretary of state
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks from his aircraft upon arrival at Ben Guiron Airport on February 15, 2025 on the first leg of his Middle East trip. (Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)
Top US diplomat Marco Rubio arrives for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem, as he launches his first Middle East tour in his new role.
The US secretary of state’s visit comes amid international controversy surrounding US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal that the US take control of the Gaza Strip and relocate its more than two million residents.
Rubio indicated last week that he believes renewed fighting in Gaza would not ultimately end the threat that Hamas poses to Israel, though two days earlier he had appeared to back a resumption of the war.
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