President Donald Trump's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has demanded that Israel arrest and prosecute those responsible for an attack on an American journalist in the occupied West Bank, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for a crackdown on settler violence.
The interventions add to pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over attacks by Israeli settlers.
Huckabee described the assault on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine as a "despicable act of terror." He added that she had been attacked while working as a journalist and called for those responsible to face lengthy prison sentences.
"Those who attacked unarmed reporter should spend YRS in prison," Huckabee wrote on X on Saturday.
"We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this," Huckabee added. "Attacking a female photographer is despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards. Dishonorable act of senseless violence."
The Washington Post posted footage of the attack on X.
Rubio separately said the U.S. wanted Israel to do more to deter attacks by settlers in the West Bank.
"We're very disturbed by those images and what we're seeing," Rubio told reporters, according to Reuters. "We've asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff."
Rubio said Trump's administration would make its expectations clear to Israeli officials "to prevent that from happening in the future," Al Jazeera reported. "We don’t need that right now; Israel doesn’t need that right now," he added.
Newsweek contacted Israeli government officials via online form and Palestinian Authority officials via email on Sunday for comment.
Heidi Levine Attack
Levine was covering Palestinian farmers harvesting olives near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, on Friday when she was attacked by Israeli settlers
The veteran American photojournalist suffered serious injuries, including a broken rib, multiple fractured vertebrae and severe damage to a finger that required surgery, her daughter told The Associated Press.
Levine said her attackers kicked her for about 10 minutes as she tried to hold on to her cameras and bag. Her passport, phone, wallet and equipment were also stolen, according to witness accounts reported by Al Jazeera.
Armed with bottles and slingshots, the attackers "were kicking me for like 10 minutes, and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag," Levine said, as per the outlet.
Jasper Nathaniel, an independent journalist who witnessed the assault, told Al Jazeera that Levine "was in very, very bad shape. She couldn’t really get up off the ground."
The 64-year-old was taken to hospital following the attack in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.
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The Israeli police have opened an investigation into the attack. Netanyahu questioned the identity of the perpetrators, suggesting Palestinians or "far-left" activists might have been responsible, despite reports identifying the attackers as Israeli settlers, according to Al Jazeera.
The U.S. State Department condemned criminal violence by any party, while Rubio said Washington had sought information about the incident and expected a response from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Reuters reported.
Huckabee's Criticism of Settler Violence
Huckabee's intervention is notable given his reputation as a staunch supporter of Israel and its settlement movement.
The Trump-appointed ambassador has nevertheless repeatedly condemned violent settler attacks. In August, he described a siege of Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra as an "act of terror," according to Al Jazeera reporting at the time.
During the incident, settlers reportedly besieged three Palestinian homes, including one belonging to a dual U.S. citizen. Huckabee said the U.S. Embassy had been involved in efforts to have Israeli forces remove the settlers.
His latest demand for arrests and prosecution suggests a continuing effort to press Israel over attacks against Americans, even as he maintains his wider support for the country.
Rubio's comments carry additional diplomatic weight because they represent public criticism from the U.S. Secretary of State, rather than solely from the ambassador.
History of Settler Attacks in the West Bank
The statements come amid renewed international scrutiny of settler violence in the West Bank, raising questions about the pressure Washington is prepared to exert on a government it broadly supports.
According to Reuters, Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din has documented at least 170 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest.
According to the group, as reported by The Associated Press, around 94 percent of investigations into settler violence since 2005 have ended without an indictment, with just 3 percent leading to full or partial convictions.
On Saturday, European diplomats and a French mayor were also attacked by masked settlers in the West Bank village of Taybeh, according to The Washington Post. The incidents have intensified calls for Israel to protect civilians and international visitors and hold perpetrators accountable.
As reported by Newsweek, there have been numerous incidents of American journalists being attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
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Growing Pressure on Netanyahu
The latest statements come as the Trump administration faces wider questions about its approach to Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank.
In February, Trump said he opposed Israeli annexation of the territory after Israeli cabinet measures expanded Israeli control over it, as reported by Newsweek.
Congressional Democrats have separately pressed Netanyahu's government to address settler violence. In August, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Adam Schiff and Senator Cory Booker led a group of 45 senators urging Israel to curb attacks and investigate the deaths of nine American citizens killed by settlers or Israeli security forces in the West Bank, according to the Senate Democratic Caucus.
The senators called for a credible mechanism to investigate alleged violations and for those responsible for violence to be held accountable.
The public criticism comes at a politically sensitive time for the Israeli prime minister, who faces elections on October 27 and may seek continued backing from his U.S. allies.
However, the criticism from the U.S. does not necessarily signal a wider policy shift, with the Trump administration able to oppose annexation and condemn settler violence while maintaining its broader political and military support for Netanyahu.
Whether the administration's statements translate into concrete pressure on Israel, including arrests and prosecutions, remains to be seen.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Trevor Davies