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Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu Deliver Joint Statements to the Press in Jerusalem, Sep. 15, 2025

September 15, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:34:30

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered joint statements to the press in Jerusalem, Israel, on September 15, 2025, according to the State Department broadcast.

Netanyahu called the visit “a powerful, powerful affirmation of a powerful bond,” said the alliance “has never been as strong as it is now,” and thanked President Trump for the decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, which he called a message to the world that the United States acts to defend its interests and allies. He said Israel remembers October 7th, is committed to bringing all the hostages home — “the living and the dead” — and that Hamas must be defeated so it can no longer turn Gaza into a threat.

Rubio restated the President’s position in the same terms he had set out at Joint Base Andrews two days earlier: “every single hostage, both living and deceased, needs to be home immediately,” Hamas “can no longer continue to exist as an armed element,” and the people of Gaza deserve a better future that “cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated.” On Iran, he said a nuclear-armed Iran with missiles able to range into Europe is “an unacceptable risk,” that the campaign of maximum economic pressure will continue, and that the United States supports European partners moving to snap back sanctions. He also noted the two would inaugurate the Pilgrim’s Road at the City of David that evening, which he called one of the most important archaeological sites on the planet.

Why it matters

The Jerusalem statements are the fullest on-record statement of the administration’s Gaza end-state in this period — hostages home all at once, Hamas eliminated as an armed force, maximum pressure on Iran — delivered jointly with the Israeli prime minister rather than unilaterally.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: the objectives as restated on September 15, 2025 — all 48 hostages released, Hamas eliminated as an armed element, and continued maximum economic pressure on Iran with European snapback sanctions. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no entry is published from this page.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Secretary Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Joint Statements to the Press” (official upload, embedded above; Jerusalem, Israel). Remarks as delivered 2025-09-15; transcript reviewed in the site’s private research store; full transcript at state.gov.