Rubio urges Israel to curb settler attacks in occupied West Bank

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday 17 October that Washington had asked Israel, and was continuing to ask it, to crack down on attacks by settlers in the occupied West Bank. His remarks followed the beating of Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine during the Palestinian olive harvest. They were a call for action, not an announcement of new Israeli measures. [4] [5]

“We’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing,” Rubio told reporters after footage of the attack circulated. “We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff.” He said the State Department had sought information about Levine’s attack and expected to hear from the US embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday. [4]

Levine was beaten near the village of Abu Falah on Friday. She told the Associated Press that her attackers kicked her as she tried to hold on to her cameras. Her daughter told AP that Levine had suffered a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence at Abu Falah but questioned whether Palestinians or activists were to blame. AP reported that masked settlers beat Levine. [1] [5]

The violence extends beyond that attack: Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din said settlers had been involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since 27 September, according to Reuters. [4]

In a separate incident on Saturday, European diplomats and French mayor Bernard Baudoux were attacked during a visit to Taybeh. Baudoux said he was struck with metal bars and kicked, but said he was fine. Israel’s military condemned the assault, and police said they had opened an investigation. That inquiry concerns Taybeh; it does not establish that Israel has taken new measures in response to Rubio’s request. [3]