US urges Israel to crack down on settler violence

US Secretary of State Rubio told media on the evening of October 17 local time that the United States hopes Israel will take more measures to curb violent attacks by Jewish settlers in the West Bank. On October 16, Heidi Levine, a senior photojournalist for The Washington Post, was surrounded and beaten by dozens of masked Jewish settlers while reporting on Palestinian farmers picking olives in the West Bank, and her camera, passport and other belongings were taken. Rubio said: "We are deeply disturbed by those images and by what we saw. We have asked and continue to ask the Israeli side to crack down on such acts." He said the US State Department has made inquiries about incidents including the attack on Levine, and he expects to receive a response from the US embassy before Sunday.