Rubio
Rubio says US 'very disturbed' by ‘Israeli’ settler assault on American photojournalist
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced alarm regarding footage of violence in the West Bank, saying that Washington’s goal is to prevent escalating tension in the territory.
- Rubio said that the White House is seeking to avoid additional points of friction or instability across the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern on Saturday over reports and video footage showing ‘Israeli’ violence against media workers in the West Bank, highlighting Washington’s goal to prevent further escalation in the occupied territory.
Speaking on the attack against Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, Rubio stressed that the administration wants to avoid deepening crises across the area as diplomatic monitoring intensifies.
Addressing reporters on Saturday prior to departure, Secretary Rubio commented on the widely circulated images of the assault, "We're very disturbed by those images and what we're seeing... the President has been very clear, he's said this repeatedly, he does not want to see friction or crisis going on in the West Bank."
Rubio added that US diplomats at the embassy in Jerusalem are actively seeking full operational details regarding the assault to assess the security situation for American citizens and press corps members in the region.
The attack on Heidi Levine
Veteran American photojournalist Heidi Levine was violently attacked by ‘Israeli’ settlers while covering local Palestinians during the annual olive harvest near Ramallah. Masked assailants knocked her to the ground, beat her severely, and stole her equipment, camera gear, press credentials, and personal belongings.
Levine was hospitalized with extensive physical injuries, including multiple severe hand fractures requiring surgery, broken ribs, and spinal fractures.
The incident unfolds against the backdrop of long-standing bilateral security ties, with the United States serving as the primary source of foreign military financing for 'Israel'. Washington provides billions of dollars annually in baseline defense aid, governed by a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding, alongside supplemental arms transfers, intelligence sharing, and missile defense allocations. This extensive financial and material military support often draws scrutiny during outbreaks of violence in the occupied West Bank and broader region.
