Rubio calls on Israel to curb settler attacks in the West Bank

Washington - Ofoq News - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at dawn on Sunday that Washington is deeply concerned about the scenes of attacks in the West Bank, stressing that his country has repeatedly asked Israel to take strict measures to stop these attacks.

Rubio's statements came after the attack on Heidi Levin, an American photojournalist for the Washington Post, on Friday, while she was covering attacks targeting Palestinian farmers in the West Bank. Levin was injured after settlers beat her, according to her testimony and the statements of witnesses and doctors.

Rubio stressed that the attack on the American photographer was not an isolated incident, noting that Washington had received complaints about other incidents, and that the State Department was following up on the case and awaiting a response from the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

He added that US President Donald Trump does not want the current situation to continue in the West Bank, explaining that the decision to lift sanctions on former settlers does not mean supporting the ongoing attacks. He also pointed out that the olive harvest season usually witnesses the influx of large numbers of people to agricultural areas, stressing that his country is closely monitoring developments.