Rubio visits Jerusalem site to support Israel, urges Qatar to keep helping with Gaza

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday visited a contentious archaeological site beneath Jerusalem, giving U.S. backing to a Jewish settler-led project that critics say undermines prospects for a future Palestinian state.

The City of David archeological park sits in the elevated compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, a flashpoint that has triggered outbreaks of violence over the decades and remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Trump administration's 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the subsequent move of the U.S. embassy to the city from Tel Aviv marked a departure from decades of American policy that Jerusalem's status should be determined through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The visit comes ahead of a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in New York this month where Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state, which Israel rejects.

Rubio's visit to Jerusalem began on Sunday when Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led him and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on a tour of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site. They also visited the nearby Western Wall tunnels, an Israeli excavation that has been criticized by the UN.

Rubio to fly to Qatar

Rubio will travel to Qatar after his visit to Israel, Reuters reported on Monday. He called on Qatar to continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Gaza conflict, saying it could help reach the goals of releasing all 48 hostages still held in Gaza, disarming Hamas and building a better future for Gaza people.

But his words, alongside Netanyahu, suggest that Washington now considers a diplomatic solution unlikely and is backing Israel's plan for a major new military operation that Netanyahu says will crush Hamas once and for all.

An emergency Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha on Monday strongly condemned Israel's recent attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar last week and declared full solidarity with the Gulf state.

While diplomacy was unfolding in Jerusalem and Doha, Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza City. Axios, a U.S. media outlet, reported that the Israeli military launched a ground offensive Monday to occupy Gaza City, citing Israeli officials.

(With input from agencies)