US wants Israel to 'crack down' on settler violence in West Bank, Rubio says

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The United States wants Israel to do more to deter ​attacks committed by settlers in the West Bank, ‌US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday. "We're very disturbed by those images and what we're seeing," Rubio ​said. "We've asked the Israelis and continue to ​ask them to crack down on that stuff." Sign up here. ⁠His comments to reporters came after the widespread ​dissemination of video showing multiple individuals attacking Heidi Levine, ​an American photojournalist with the Washington Post. Levine was one of at least two people injured in the Friday incident, ​which took place as Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians. Item 1 of 2 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a meeting with Dinorah Figuera, president of the 2015-elected Venezuelan National Assembly, recognized by the US as the country's last democratically elected legislature, at the State Department in Washington, D.C., US, October 9, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee/File Photo [1/2] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a meeting with Dinorah Figuera, president of the 2015-elected Venezuelan National Assembly, recognized by the US as the country's last democratically... Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Read more European ​diplomats and a French mayor also were attacked in the ‌occupied ⁠West Bank, Belgium's foreign minister said. The US State Department, Rubio said, has inquired about the event that included Levine's attack. Rubio, who spoke to reporters before ​boarding a ​flight to ⁠Uzbekistan, said he expects to hear back from the US Embassy in Jerusalem ​by Sunday. Israeli settlers in the West Bank ​have ⁠been involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since September 27, around the start of the annual ⁠olive ​harvest, according to Yesh Din, ​an Israeli settlements monitoring group. Updates throughout with quote, background Reporting by Gram Slattery and Jasper Ward ​in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Franklin Paul Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Suggested Topics: Middle East X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights