US officials condemn settler attacks in the West Bank that injured an unarmed American journalist
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has called for an investigation and arrests, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington is "very troubled" by the attacks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded Saturday night to the recent attacks in the West Bank, saying that the United States expects Israel to take further steps to prevent attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank. His comments came after footage showed people attacking Heidi Levine, an American photographer for the Washington Post.
"We are very disturbed by those images and what we are seeing," Rubio told reporters. "We've asked the Israelis, and we continue to ask them, to crack down on that stuff," Rubio said, adding that the State Department has looked into the circumstances behind the incident.
Rubio says he expects to receive an update from the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, also responded to the attacks and wrote, "Details of who is under investigation, but those who attacked an unarmed reporter should spend years in prison. We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law against whoever participated in this. Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards. Dishonorable act of senseless violence."
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The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, spoke with photographer Heidi Levine, who was attacked in Binyamin, and told her, "I express deep sorrow and apologize for what you went through. The vile behavior of these perpetrators does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel."
The president added, "All branches of the government, security forces, and law enforcement must use all available means at their disposal to conduct a thorough investigation, reach the lawbreakers, and bring them to justice."
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As stated, a Washington Post photographer, Heidi Levine, claimed on Friday that she was attacked and robbed by settlers near Ramallah while wearing a protective vest identifying her as a journalist, until she was evacuated to a hospital.
Levin recounted that a group of attackers beat her and knocked her to the ground: "They just kept kicking me again and again, probably about 50 times," Levin told reporters.