US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed the governance and security of the Gaza Strip during a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Monday. This is noted in a readout attributable to US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

Rubio “reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning for the governance and security of Gaza.”

Also, the US Secretary of State emphasized that the radical Palestinian Hamas movement “can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.”

The two foreign policy chiefs discussed as well the “developments in Syria, including the need for inclusive governance and the need to prevent the country from being used as a base for terrorism or from posing a threat to its neighbors.”

Also, Rubio and Abdelatty reaffirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation to strengthen peace and security.

Egypt’s foreign minister, speaking at the start of his meeting with Rubio on Monday, said peace in the Middle East could be achieved, but it must be on terms that guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, especially their right to establish a state of their own.