Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, pledged yesterday (Wednesday) to end sanctions imposed on Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria by the Biden administration.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio gave a direct "Yes" when asked if the incoming administration would overturn the sanctions. He added, "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."
The timing of Rubio's statement is significant, coming just one day after President Joe Biden extended the order declaring a state of emergency in Judea and Samaria for another year, which allows for continued sanctions on residents of the area.
During the same hearing, Rubio took a firm stance on visa policies regarding Hamas supporters. "If you apply for a visa to come into the United States and in the process of being looked at, it comes to light you're a supporter of Hamas, we wouldn't let you in," he stated. "Now that you got the visa and [are] inside the US and we realize you're a supporter, we should remove your visa. If you could not come in because you're a supporter of Hamas, you should not be able to stay. That's how I view it." He emphasized his intention to be "very forceful" on this issue.
The confirmation hearing coincided with the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. While Rubio acknowledged he did not have detailed information about the agreement, he praised both the Biden administration and the Trump transition team for working "side by side" to finalize it.
Rubio did not specify a timeline for lifting the sanctions.
Arutz Sheva contributed to this article.
0 Comments