Reuters, on West Bank, 17 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

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

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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 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 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

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What we found (2)

Reuters reports Rubio's call for Israel to crack down on settler violence, and it names Israeli settlers as attacking Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. It does not name who attacked the European diplomats and the French mayor, though the same day's coverage says masked Israeli settlers did. It also writes that settlers were only "involved in" the attacks Yesh Din counted.

  1. Hides who did it

    Minor

    “a French mayor also were attacked”

    Why this matters
    Reuters puts the attack on the diplomats and the French mayor in the passive voice, with no attacker named, and sources it only to Belgium's foreign minister.
    The impression it gives
    A reader learns that diplomats were attacked but is not told by whom.
    The context
    The same day's coverage says masked Israeli settlers targeted the diplomats.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

  2. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “involved in at least 170 attacks”

    Why this matters
    Reuters says settlers have "been involved in" attacks rather than that they carried them out.
    The impression it gives
    A reader may picture settlers as one party among several in the attacks, not as the attackers.
    The context
    The figure counts settler attacks on Palestinians. The article itself says settlers attacked Palestinian civilians.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians”

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians”

    Reuters names the attackers and their victims in its own voice. It does not fold the attack into clashes, as the settlers' council account did.

  • “occupied”

    Reuters gives the West Bank its legal status as occupied territory.

  • “according to Yesh Din, ​an Israeli settlements monitoring group”

    Reuters gives the settler attack tally with a named, identified monitoring source.

How other outlets reported it

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  4. 18 OctUS officials visit Palestinian village after settler attacks on diplomats3.0
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