US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Saudi Arabia after concluding a visit to Israel.
Rubio is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. On the agenda is likely to be US President Donald Trump’s proposal for the Palestinian residents of Gaza to be resettled in other Arab nations and for the US to lead the reconstruction of the Strip.
That proposal has infuriated the Arab world and heightened fears among Palestinians in Gaza of being driven out of the coastal territory.
Saudi Arabia, alongside other Arab nations, has rejected any plan that involves resettling Palestinians, and Riyadh is spearheading Arab efforts to develop a counterproposal, which could involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas.
Bin Salman has also insisted that Saudi Arabia would not normalize ties with Israel — a longstanding goal of Washington — without an agreement on a pathway to a Palestinian state, a condition Israel rejects.
Rubio’s Saudi visit also comes ahead of expected talks with Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 17, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
