US-Israel alliance is as ‘durable as the stones’ of the Western Wall, Netanyahu tells Rubio

Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu tour the tunnels underneath the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio, and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet Huckabee, on September 14, 2025. (Nava Freiberg/Times of Israel)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu tour the tunnels underneath the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio, and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife Janet Huckabee, on September 14, 2025. (Nava Freiberg/Times of Israel)

After praying together at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tour the nearby underground tunnels, with Netanyahu hailing the US-Israel alliance as “durable as the stones” of the holy site.

The pair, joined by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and the three officials’ wives, were guided by Suli Eliav, CEO of the Western Wall Heritage Center.

“I think [Rubio’s] visit here is a testimony to the durability, the strength of the Israeli-American alliance, that is as strong and durable as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched,” Netanyahu tells reporters at the site after the tour.

“Under [US] President [Donald] Trump, and Secretary Rubio, this alliance has never been stronger, and we deeply appreciate it,” the premier continues, before the two shake hands and leave the site together.

Rubio does not address the press, and neither official takes questions from the media.

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