US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Israel to 'crack down' on settler violence in the West Bank after a video showed multiple individuals attacking American photojournalist Heidi Levine. The attack occurred on October 16, 2026, during the annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank.
Levine, 64, was severely injured in the attack, with a broken rib, multiple broken vertebrae, and lacerations. She was taken to hospital after the assault in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. Israeli settlers stormed the area, beat her and stole her passport, telephone, wallet and equipment.
Rubio warned of a 'crisis' in the territory as settlers continued to attack Palestinians and European diplomats. The violence is surging ahead of October 27 elections, with Israeli settlers involved in at least 170 attacks since September 27, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlement monitoring group.