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Statements by PM Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Type: Events and Speeches
Government: The 37th Government
Publish Date: 15.09.2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, today:

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"Mr. Secretary, Marco, your visit to our eternal and undivided capital of Jerusalem is a powerful affirmation of a powerful bond.

We stand in a time of immense challenges: the aggression of Iran and its terrorist proxies, those who chant, 'Death to America, death to Israel' are not chanting it by accident because they see Israel as the frontline of American civilization here in the Middle East.

While those chants and those threats still linger, they're a lot less dangerous now and they're a lot less dangerous they were met with our common resolve. The decision by President Trump to target the nuclear facilities of Iran was not merely a militarily wise thing to do, it was also a message to the entire world that the United States acts to defend its interests and to defend its allies.

America has no better ally than Israel. It's obvious that Israel has no better ally than America. You've been a remarkable partner and our remarkable alliance, I think, has been forged for ages.

President Trump said to me the other day: 'Remember October 7th.' We remember. We remember the savagery, we remember the incredible massacre of the innocent, we remember our hostages and we are committed to bringing all of them home, the living and the dead.

We appreciate all the help that President Trump and you have given us on this sacred task. We remember Hamas and we know that we must defeat them and ensure that they no longer are able to turn Gaza into a threat to Israel. They no longer should be there.

Your presence here in Israel today is a clear message that America stands with Israel. You stand with us in the face of terror, in the face of the incredible, I would almost say, Middle Age lies, Middle Ages lies that are directed against, the rising antisemitism in the world and really the weak governments that are putting pressures on us because they collapsed under the pressures of Islamist minorities and incredible vilification.

I want to thank you personally for your unwavering support of Israel's right to defend itself, for standing firmly against those who seek to isolate and demonize our nation.

I'd like once again to extend our deepest gratitude to a great friend of Israel, a personal friend of mine, President Donald J. Trump. The President has shown consistent leadership, moral clarity and bold actions that have strengthened the alliances between our nations as never before. The American-Israeli alliance has never been as strong as it is now. The President has been an outstanding global leader. He is really transforming the world to better all of us. And I can again repeat what I've said time and time again, he's the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.

We will continue to act together with great force and great determination to protect our countries, and I may add, to protect our common civilization because we're engaged in the battle of civilization against barbarism. The alliance between our nations remains as enduring and unshakeable as the stones of the Western Wall we visited yesterday. We will forever cherish this friendship.

I want to say, Mr. Secretary, thank you. May God protect you, bless you and bless your family. May God bless America, may God bless Israel and may God bless our enduring alliance."

US Secretary of State Rubio:

"Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.

First of all, let me say on behalf of the President of the United States, President Trump, I want to thank you for your friendship and for the friendship that Israel has shown towards the United States and so many issues we work on together that extend beyond the causes of war and peace but advances in technology, advances in economics. And those remain strong and enduring and unwavering. And not enough attention gets paid to those links, the economic links, the cultural links.

We're here today, by the way, later this evening, to inaugurate and to open to the world perhaps one of the most important archaeological sites in the planet and one that has deep meaning to so many people in the United States as well in the Pilgrims Road over at the City of David. And so, it's an honor to be here and be a part of that.

As far as the President has been clear on the ongoing issues in Gaza, and that is that every single hostage, both living and deceased, needs to be home immediately. Hamas can no longer continue to exist as an armed element that threatens the peace and security not just of Israel, but of the world. And that the people of Gaza deserve a better future, one that cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated and until all of the hostages, both living and deceased, are home. And he remains committed firmly to that objective. And that's what we seek to talk about today, have talked about today and will continue to talk about, and that is the road forward on how to achieve those things. Those objectives remain. Those objectives remain in place.

Beyond that, obviously we cooperated and were involved together just a few weeks ago, on the issue of Iran and Iran's desire to possess not just nuclear weapons, but short and mid-range missiles with the capability of threatening our presence here in this hemisphere, in this region, and of course the safety and security of the Jewish state.

But I would venture to say a threat that actually extends well beyond that to the kingdoms of the Gulf and eventually even into Europe. In fact, some of the missiles they're trying to develop now can already range countries in Europe. And so, a nuclear Iran, governed by a radical Shia cleric, that possesses not just nuclear weapons, potentially, but the missiles that could deliver those weapons far away is an unacceptable risk, not just for Israel, not just for the United States, but for the world.

And that is one, that's why we, the President continues with our campaign of maximum pressure that will continue to be maximum economic pressure on Iran until they change course. That's why we are encouraged to see our partners in Europe begin the process of snapping back sanctions on Iran. They are clearly out of compliance with what was already a flawed deal to begin with, and we encourage them to continue down that road.

We a hundred percent support that. That is exactly what needs to happen. And we remain firmly committed, as I said, to the President's objective, which he's been abundantly clear on. And I want to repeat, at the end of the day, no matter what has happened or happens, the subjective remains the same. And that is, all 48 of those hostages, both living and deceased, need to be home, they need to be returned. They never should have been taken. What happened on October 7th was an act of unparalleled barbarism, and what's happened since then have been repeated acts of unparalleled barbarism on the part of Hamas.

Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security of the region, and the people of Gaza deserve a better future. But that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated. That better future and that kind of peace is not even possible until the hostages are released, all of them. Every single one.

And, so that's what we continue to be focused on, that's what the President wants to see happen and that's what you can count on our unwavering support and commitment to see come to fruition."