The participation of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in inaugurating a tunnel beneath the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has sparked sharp questions about the significance and timing of the move.
A Step in the Judaization Project
Israeli affairs expert Muhannad Mustafa described the tunnel opening as part of the colonial Judaization project in Jerusalem aimed at asserting control over and erasing the identity of al-Aqsa Mosque.
The tunnel stretches around 600 meters, running from the southern edges of the Wadi Hilweh neighbourhood in Silwan and ending at the foundations of the Buraq Wall (Western Wall), adjacent to al-Aqsa. Rubio also joined Netanyahu in rituals at the Buraq Wall, underscoring the religious and political symbolism of the act.
Mustafa expressed astonishment at the U.S. administration’s involvement in what he described as a religious process of entrenching dominance over al-Aqsa. He noted that the Trump administration promotes an ideological current rooted in religious literalism, directing its policies in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem towards perpetual war, annexation, and settlement expansion.
Clear Message of U.S. Support
Political analyst Sari Orabi stressed that Rubio’s presence in the settlement tunnel — constructed by a settler association and reaching into Silwan near al-Aqsa — is a clear message of support for Israel.
According to Orabi, Netanyahu is indifferent to Israel’s international isolation and collapsing narrative, focusing solely on the United States and its political axis between the White House and Congress, which he sees as the foundation for sustaining the genocide.
Rubio’s visit also coincided with talks on the ongoing war in Gaza and the prisoner file, just days after Israel’s failed strike on Hamas leadership in Doha.
More Than a Symbolic Visit
U.S. Republican strategist Adolfo Franco, however, denied that Rubio’s trip was intended to support Israel’s Judaization or annexation plans. He insisted that Rubio’s presence was not symbolic but practical, aimed at pressing for an end to the Gaza conflict through the release of remaining prisoners.
Franco attempted to shift blame onto Hamas, accusing the resistance of setting “unrealistic preconditions” for ending the war, and claimed these could not be met overnight. He admitted, however, that the United States is not neutral: “Washington firmly supports Israel but tries to influence Netanyahu’s government privately.”
Netanyahu’s Intentions Questioned
Mustafa rejected Franco’s claims, arguing that Israel’s attack on Doha revealed Netanyahu’s disregard for the prisoner issue. Any talk of a potential exchange deal, he said, is futile, as Netanyahu’s true goal is to prolong the war, demolish Gaza’s towers and infrastructure, and pave the way for displacement.
To achieve this, Netanyahu continues to rely on Trump and the Republican Party, successfully convincing the U.S. president multiple times of Israel’s narrative and the possibility of defeating Gaza if given more time.
On the sidelines of Rubio’s visit, Netanyahu declared: “Relations with the United States have never been stronger than they are now.”
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