US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that scenes of the assault on an American journalist in the occupied West Bank caused "deep distress" in Washington, confirming that the United States has asked Israel to take measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.
This came in a statement to journalists before the start of his visit to Uzbekistan on Saturday evening, where Rubio clarified that all details of the assault on American journalist Heidi Levine have not yet become clear, and that US President Donald Trump does not want a new tension or crisis to erupt in the occupied West Bank.
Details of the Attack
On Saturday, Heidi Levine (63 years old) was transported to a hospital after she was attacked by Israeli settlers along with a group of Palestinians, during the annual olive harvest season in the town of Abu Fahlah, northeast of Ramallah (central), according to a statement from the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
For more than ten minutes, Levine was beaten and kicked by more than 50 masked settlers carrying sticks, while she tried to protect her face by clinging to the ground. Levine has worked with "The Washington Post" for more than four decades, dedicating her professional career to covering wars and conflict zones and documenting events in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Escalation of Attacks
Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their lands are escalating during the olive harvest season, which began in early October and continues until the end of November next, and constitutes a main source of livelihood for thousands of Palestinian families.
According to the Palestinian Committee Against the Wall and Settlement, more than 45,000 trees were cut or damaged in the West Bank during the first half of 2026, including more than 26,000 olive trees.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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