Rubio says US ‘concerned’ by settler attacks, insists Israel will ‘do something’
Top US diplomat recalls Trump’s opposition to status quo changes in West Bank, in comments hours after another Palestinian family targeted near Hebron
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US Secretary of State Marco said Friday that Washington was “concerned” by settler violence against West Bank Palestinians, and claimed Israel would take action against the daily attacks that have gone largely unchecked.
Asked about soaring settler violence while taking questions from reporters in France, Rubio responded, “We’re concerned about that” and noted that US President Donald Trump has previously expressed his opposition last year “against any sort of change in the status quo in the West Bank.”
While Trump has said he would not let Israel annex the West Bank, one of his first actions upon returning to office last year was to lift sanctions that the previous administration had placed on violent settlers.
While Trump officials have also largely avoided commenting publicly on the phenomenon, Rubio insists that Washington is still paying attention. “There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but that’s a topic we follow very closely.”
The top US diplomat went on to insist that the Israeli government is taking the issue seriously, as in addition to largely attacking Palestinians, the assailants have sometimes targeted Israeli security forces.
“The Israelis themselves have expressed [concern]… You’ve seen that some of these groups and individuals — maybe they’re settlers, maybe they’re just street thugs — have attacked Israeli security forces as well, so I think you’ll see the government there do something about it,” Rubio said.
The last time Netanyahu publicly weighed in on the issue was in December, when he downplayed the problem and characterized the assailants as a “handful of kids.”
His government has meanwhile poured millions of dollars into the outpost enterprise, even though those wildcat communities have been hotbeds for violence against neighboring Palestinians.
The Israel Defense Forces did, earlier this week, divert a battalion that was supposed to go to Lebanon to instead head to the West Bank. Nonetheless, settler attacks have continued daily, with the vast majority of them not seeing a single arrest.
Rubio went on to dodge a question on whether the US would take action against Israel if the settler attacks persisted.
His comments came hours after yet another settler attack, this time targeting a Palestinian home in the Hebron-area village of Burin overnight.
מתקפת הטרור היהודי: מתנחלים קיצוניים הגיעו לאחד הפלסטינים בכפר בירין, החלו ליידות אבנים לעבר הבית, תקפו את בעל הבית, זרקו על המצלמות, התיזו גז פלפל לתוך בית איפה שיש גם ילדים, ולפי מה שמספר בעל הבית, גנבו 25 כבשים ונמלטו מהמקום.
אני מקווה שצה״ל לא יוציא הודעה ויגיד שזה ״חיכוך״ pic.twitter.com/S6weV3n7XX— Yossi Eli (@Yossi_eli) March 27, 2026
Security camera footage showed four settlers arriving with sticks and throwing stones at the house and the camera. One of the attackers was also seen trying to pepper-spray inside the house, and the owner said the settlers stole 25 sheep. No arrests were reported.
In a report this week, human rights group Yesh Din said settlers have carried out more than 10 attacks on Palestinians a day since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran on February 28.
The attacks since then have included the killing of six Palestinians as well as assault, damage to property, and land seizures against a total of 116 Palestinian communities. Arrests in such incidents are highly rare.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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