Rubio wants ‘crackdown’ on settler violence after US journalist attack

On October 16, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians during the olive harvest in the West Bank, setting fire to cars and trees, and assaulting an American journalist, Heidi Levine from the Washington Post. The attacks occurred in at least eight Palestinian villages, with videos showing settlers using slingshots to launch stones and burning olive trees. Israeli military presence was inadequate, as soldiers sometimes protected settlers or failed to intervene during assaults on Palestinians. Levine suffered severe injuries including a nearly detached finger, broken rib, and multiple vertebrae fractures.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called for Israel to prosecute the attackers and crack down on settler violence in the West Bank. Levine’s attack garnered international attention, prompting demands for accountability from US officials and outrage over increasing settler aggression during the harvest season.