US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday expressed confidence the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire will be completed “very soon” and said he hoped an international peacekeeping force would be assembled in the near future.
In a news conference lasting more than two hours, Mr Rubio also said the disarmament of Hamas is “critical” for an enduring peace in Gaza and said talks between Lebanese authorities and Israel could create “a way forward” that prevents further conflict between them.
“This is something we're aiming at very soon, it has to. It's what we're focused on right now, like a laser,” Mr Rubio said of the formation of the International Stabilisation Force in Gaza.
The force was outlined in President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, and would be focused on keeping the peace in the enclave after Israeli troops withdraw.
“I feel very confident that we have a number of nation states acceptable to all sides of this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilisation force,” Mr Rubio told reporters. He added that Pakistan would be a “key” addition to the plan, “but we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit”.
He expressed confidence the first phase of the Gaza peace plan would be completed and pointed to progress in the creation of a non-partisan committee of technocrats to run postwar Gaza.
Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to meet officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Miami on Friday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire.
A major sticking point before the next phase of the ceasefire can commence is the extent to which Hamas lays down its arms. Under the peace plan, Israel is meant to withdraw its troops from Gaza, which has been under Hamas rule since 2007.
Mr Rubio said that the next step in the plan, which was initiated with the ceasefire in October, will be creating the so-called Board of Peace, to be chaired by Mr Trump, and setting up the “Palestinian technocratic group”.
“And then once that’s in place, I think that will allow us to firm up the stabilisation force, including how it’s going to be paid for, what the rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarisation and so forth,” he said.
Mr Rubio would not be drawn on how much Hamas needs to disarm, following reports it is ready to lay down some weapons under certain conditions.
“You're not going to convince anyone to invest money in Gaza if they believe another war is going to happen in two, three years,” he said.
“I would just ask everyone to focus on what are the kind of weapon capabilities that Hamas would need in order to threaten or attack Israel as a baseline for what disarmament needs to look like,” he added, noting that “disarmament is so critical”.
Mr Rubio also works as interim National Security Adviser and has emerged as a strong defender of Mr Trump's America First priorities on issues including foreign aid and visa restrictions. He said as many as 70,000 visas had been revoked this year.
On the West Bank, where Israel continues to build settlements and settler violence against Palestinians is rife, Mr Rubio said the US was “concerned” and that the issue creates “a point of strong friction” in US-Israel relations.
He sounded an optimistic tone on continuing talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Beirut says it is in the final stages of disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah south of the Litani River, as required under a ceasefire deal with Israel.
“Hezbollah can no longer play the role that they've played in the past, not just in Israel, but being an agent, open agent, really a proxy of Iranian influence in the region,” Mr Rubio said.
Venezuela
Mr Rubio spoke at length, often in Spanish, about the situation in Venezuela. The US has amassed a large military force in the Caribbean and has conducted frequent strikes against speedboats that, it claims, were carrying narcotics.
He repeatedly referred to Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his government as “illegitimate” and working openly with drug smugglers.
“They openly co-operate with terrorist and criminal elements,” Mr Rubio said. “They invite Hezbollah and Iran to operate from their territory, but they also allow [Colombian guerrilla groups] not just to operate from inside of Venezuelan territory, to control Venezuelan territory unencumbered, unimpeded.”
Mr Rubio said Mr Trump has made it a priority for the US to play the role of a “mediator that brings about the avoidance of war or the ending of conflicts”.
When asked how that squares with the looming possibility of military intervention in Venezuela, Mr Rubio said: “Wanting to pursue peace and secure peace does not necessarily come at the expense of your national interest.”
“We reserve the right and retain the option of defending our national interest,” he added.
Sudan humanitarian truce
On Sudan, Mr Rubio said the immediate goal is a cessation of hostilities and that the US is pressuring warring parties to get to that point.
“Our No 1 priority we’re focused on, 99 per cent of our focus, is this humanitarian truce and achieving that as soon as possible,” he said.
“We think that the new year and the upcoming holidays are a great opportunity for both sides to agree to that, and we’re really pushing very hard on that regard.”
He said he had emphasised this position with leaders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“In order to make progress on this, it will require outside actors to use their pressure to make that come about, particularly this humanitarian truce, which is the first thing we want,” he said.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, and both sides have been accused of gross human rights abuses.
The conflict has become one of the most pressing international crises, with tens of thousands killed, about 13 million displaced and food and sexual violence used as weapons of war.
The US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt – the so-called Quad group – have been working in recent months to bring about a ceasefire.
