Rubio visits Jerusalem archaeological site in boost to Israel’s claims

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday visited a contentious archaeological site beneath Jerusalem, giving US backing to a Jewish settler-led project that critics say undermines prospects for a future Palestinian state.

The visit, from which international and local media were barred, marked the latest endorsement by the Trump administration of initiatives that opponents say are aimed at cementing Israel’s claims to East Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as the capital of a future state.

The global heritage body Unesco opposed the construction of the park in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, outside what most of the world recognises as Israel’s territory.

Rubio said he would be inaugurating a site attached to the park known as Pilgrim’s Road, believed to have been traversed by visitors to Judaism’s Second Temple around 2,000 years ago.

“It’s one of the most important archaeological sites in the world,” Rubio

said before departing Washington on Saturday. “I understand people want to involve politics in it. I understand everything in this region is political to some extent. But at the end of the day, it’s an extraordinary archaeological site.”