Washington, Oct. 18 (SANA) The United States urged Israel to crack down on settler violence in the occupied West Bank after masked Israeli settlers attacked a European diplomatic delegation in Taybeh on Saturday, a day after a veteran American photojournalist was seriously injured in a separate assault.
“We’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday. “We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff.”
The remarks followed Friday’s attack on Heidi Levine, a veteran Washington Post photojournalist covering Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest. Levine was hospitalized with serious injuries, including a broken rib and hand injuries that required surgery, according to media reports.
Marco Rubio said the U.S. State Department had contacted its embassy in Jerusalem for further information and expected an update. He also said President Donald Trump did not want renewed friction or a crisis in the occupied West Bank, adding that lifting sanctions on Israeli settlers did not mean the administration supported violence.
Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din said settlers had carried out at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since Sept. 27, around the start of the olive harvest.
American photojournalist Heidi Levine is carried on a stretcher to a Palestinian ambulance in Ramallah after being attacked by Israeli settlers while covering the olive harvest in Abu Falah, occupied West Bank, Oct. 16, 2026. Photo: AFP
European delegation attacked in Taybeh
On Saturday, masked Israeli settlers attacked a European diplomatic delegation visiting Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian town east of Ramallah. The delegation included Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives.
Witnesses and video footage described by media outlets indicated that masked settlers, some carrying metal bars, blocked roads, surrounded the delegation’s vehicles and attacked a Belgian diplomatic car, smashing a window.
Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said he was thrown to the ground and beaten by masked settlers while joining Palestinian farmers in the olive harvest. He sustained minor injuries, according to reports.
Baudoux said he had visited the area with French diplomatic representatives and a priest from his home parish to show solidarity with the local community. “The whole world needs to know what’s happening there,” he said, according to AFP.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack, saying Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats, Catholic representatives and the French mayor had been targeted. He confirmed that a Belgian diplomatic vehicle was damaged.
“Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” Maxime Prevot said. He called on Israel, as the occupying power, to protect Palestinians, diplomats and journalists and bring those responsible to justice. He added that Belgium would continue to press for European Union sanctions against settlers responsible for violence and those supporting them.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the assault as “outrageous” and called for those responsible to be arrested immediately. Poland’s Foreign Ministry demanded explanations and accountability, describing attacks on diplomats as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Jordan also condemned the attacks. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali said Israel, as the occupying power, bore responsibility and urged the international community to press for an end to settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. He reiterated Jordan’s support for an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh called on the international community to hold Israel responsible and provide protection for Palestinians. He described the incident as a small example of the “daily terrorism” Palestinians face and urged a firm international response.
US condemns attack on journalist
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the assault on Heidi Levine “a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and urged Israeli authorities to conduct a full investigation and prosecute those responsible.
Reports said masked settlers beat Heidi Levine as she covered Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the village of Abu Falah on Friday. She was knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly, sustaining serious injuries. Her newspaper said she was clearly identified as a journalist when she was attacked.
The two incidents prompted condemnation from U.S., European, Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli officials, with calls for investigations and accountability amid rising violence during the olive harvest.
N.J / M.F