Rubio: US 'Very Disturbed' by the Footage

The United States wants Israel to do more to deter attacks committed by settlers in the West Bank. That was the message from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reporters on Saturday (10/17/2026), before he boarded a flight to Uzbekistan.

"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."

Rubio said the US State Department has formally inquired about the incident, and he expects to hear back from the US Embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday.

Two Attacks Spark International Condemnation

Rubio's comments came after video of the assault on Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist with the Washington Post, spread widely. Levine, wearing a vest marked "PRESS," was knocked to the ground, repeatedly kicked, and had her phone and camera taken. She was one of at least two people injured in the Friday incident, when settlers attacked Palestinian civilians near Abu Falah.

A day later, settlers attacked a delegation in the Christian village of Taybeh: Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives were targeted. "A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Our team is safe," said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

170 Attacks Since Olive Harvest, 4 Killed

According to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group, Israeli settlers have been involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since September 27, 2026, around the start of the annual olive harvest season. The Palestinian health ministry recorded at least 4 people killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began.

Activists say Israeli authorities do too little to stop the attacks, which involve weapons ranging from slingshots to guns.