
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that Rubio underscored during the conversation “that maintaining the United States' steadfast support for Israel is a top priority for President Trump.”
“The Secretary congratulated the Prime Minister on Israel's successes against Hamas and Hezbollah and pledged to work tirelessly to help free all remaining hostages held in Gaza. The Secretary also conveyed that he looks forward to addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace,” added the statement.
The US Senate confirmed Rubio as Secretary of State in a unanimous vote, 99-0, on Monday.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Rubio was asked about the International Criminal Court's recent decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
"I think the ICC has done tremendous damage to its global credibility. First of all, it is going after a non-member state" Rubio responded. He criticized ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's claims that the ICC has the right to go after non-member states.
"I think ... that the whole premise of his prosecution is flawed," Rubio said, "beyond the process of it and the precedent that it sets, which is a very dangerous precedent for the United States of America, by the way, because this is a test run. This is a trial run to see, 'Can we go after a head of state from a nation that's not a member?' If we can go after them and we can get it done with regards to Israel, they will apply that to the United States at some point. And in fact, there have been threats to do so in the past."
He also stated during the hearing that the incoming administration plans to end the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
“Yes,” Rubio replied when asked whether the new administration would overturn the sanctions, before adding, “Without speaking out of turn, I’m confident in saying that President Trump’s administration will continue to be perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history.”
Trump indeed removed the sanctions in an executive order he signed hours after his inauguration ceremony.