Rubio calls Judea and Samaria clashes ‘very disturbing’

Trump administration urges Israel to crackdown on Judea and Samaria violence after alleged attack on US journalist.

By World Israel News Staff

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called on Israel to intensify efforts to stop violent clashes in Judea and Samaria, warning that President Donald Trump does not want renewed instability in the area following an alleged assault on an American photojournalist.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before departing for Central Asia, Rubio said Washington had repeatedly raised concerns about violence with Israeli authorities.

“We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff,” Rubio said.

The secretary of state emphasized that Trump was determined to prevent the violence from developing into a broader regional confrontation.

“He doesn’t want to see a new spark,” Rubio said.

His remarks followed claims on Friday of an assault on Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post, during a confrontation involving Israeli civilians and Palestinian rioters near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

Levine was hospitalized after she says she was assaulted, suffering four fractured vertebrae, a broken rib and injuries to her left hand that required surgery. She said her attackers repeatedly kicked her while she was on the ground and stole her photography equipment and personal belongings.

“They slammed me to the ground and kicked me again and again and again, while stealing everything from me,” Levine said.

Rubio acknowledged that he had not yet received a complete account of the incident and was relying on media reports. He said the State Department had requested information from the US Embassy in Jerusalem and expected to receive a report by Sunday.

Questioned about Trump’s earlier decision to remove sanctions targeting Israeli settlers, Rubio rejected the suggestion that reversing those measures meant the administration supported violent acts.

He said Washington had received complaints about other incidents in Judea and Samaria and was paying particular attention to tensions surrounding the annual olive harvest.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an unusually forceful condemnation of the assault on Saturday, calling for the perpetrators to be identified, arrested and prosecuted.

“Attacking a female photographer is despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards,” Huckabee wrote.

The ambassador said those responsible should face lengthy prison sentences and that the US had demanded a full investigation.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the incident, calling Levine personally on Saturday to apologize and express his solidarity.

“The despicable behavior of the perpetrators of this attack does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel,” Herzog said.

Herzog also condemned a separate violent incident in Taybeh on Saturday, in which European diplomats and other international visitors were attacked during an olive-harvesting visit. Representatives of France, Belgium and Poland were among those present.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned the violence near Abu Falah but cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigators established the circumstances.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that the facts surrounding the confrontation “remain unclear and are under investigation,” citing accounts suggesting that both Israeli and Palestinian participants had thrown objects during the confrontation.

The Binyamin Regional Council also disputed aspects of the initial accounts, alleging that Palestinian rioters had initiated the confrontation and questioning the interpretation of footage showing Levine being injured. Levine rejected claims that Israeli youths had assisted her and maintained that she had been deliberately assaulted.

Israeli police and the IDF have opened investigations into the incident. The military said security forces were dispatched following reports of a violent confrontation and used riot-dispersal measures to separate those involved.

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