Rubio distances himself from Netanyahu's Gaza plan
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's post-conflict plan for Gaza does not have Washington's backing. Mr Rubio said the US would prioritise 'a two-state solution and the restructuring of the Palestinian Authority'.
Al JazeeraSpeaking to reporters on Tuesday night at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the framework plan unveiled last week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the future of Gaza did not have Washington's support. The plan envisaged temporarily handing administration of the Gaza Strip to a trilateral Israel-Egypt-UAE arrangement and excluding the Palestinian Authority from a direct role.
'It is not possible to move forward on a no-management management model. The solution has to be around a reformed Palestinian Authority and a two-state framework,' Mr Rubio said. He added that he would meet Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Wednesday. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, at a Pentagon briefing, said: 'There is a difference in our positions, but we continue to talk.'
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office described Mr Rubio's remarks as 'a constructive caution' and said a technical delegation would be in Washington next week. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement from Ramallah, said 'we welcome the US stance'. The foreign ministries of the United Kingdom and Germany also reiterated their support for a two-state solution. A special session at the opening of the UN General Assembly in coming weeks is on the agenda.
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