US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s vital ally voices unease over air strikes on Qatar that threaten to derail already flailing attempts to reach a Gaza ceasefire.

Rubio scheduled a solidarity visit a week before a French-led summit at the United Nations to recognise a Palestinian state, a prospect fervently opposed by Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

But talks will instead be more difficult as President Donald Trump’s administration was caught off guard last week when Israel carried out an attack in Qatar against Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza.

Trump, for years a fervent defender of Netanyahu, on Sunday again voiced support for Qatar, which is home to the largest US air

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