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Marco Rubio has called on the Israeli government to “crack down” on settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

The Secretary of State has issued a demand to Jerusalem after American journalists and European diplomats were targeted by violent Israeli settlers.

His comments to reporters came after the widespread dissemination of a video showing multiple individuals attacking Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist with the Washington Post.

Settlers in the West Bank have been involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group.

Ms Levine was one of at least two people injured in the Friday incident, which took place as Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians.

Speaking to reporters before boarding a flight to Uzbekistan, Mr Rubio said: “We’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing.

“We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff.”

The Secretary of State said he expects to hear back from the US Embassy in Jerusalem by the end of the week.

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Brussels’ consul general to the Palestinians, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives were among those attacked in yesterday’s incident.

He said: “As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity for violent settlers must end.”

Mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, Bernard Baudoux, said he had been harvesting olives near the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in solidarity with the local community when he was “violently attacked” by masked settlers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the attack, describing the perpetrators as Israeli rioters, but suggested the diplomats should have coordinated their visit with the Israeli military.

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Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have surged over the past three years, with journalists, activists and foreign observers targeted by violent Israeli attackers.

On Friday, dozens of masked settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank as well as Ms Levine.

Mr Prevot said: “Palestinians face this violence every day. Settlers also target journalists reporting on it and diplomats.

“Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack.”

Israeli police said they opened an investigation into the incident, but made no immediate announcement of any arrests.

Prosecutions of settlers accused of violent crimes by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank are rare.

The settlers have been emboldened by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a rapid expansion of settlements and smaller outposts across the West Bank.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has spoken out against the violence but has taken few steps to crack down on incidents that have drawn international condemnation and sanction plans by longtime Israeli allies, including Britain.

The West Bank is home to around 500,000 settlers and at least three million Palestinians.

UN bodies and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law regarding military occupations.

Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.

The Abu Falah attack followed a similar attack on Friday morning in the area of Turmus Ayya village, where settlers burned three cars after attacking a group of Palestinian farmers harvesting olives.

Salah Abu Niswa, who witnessed the attack in Turmus Ayya, said the settlers “snuck up like thieves, they caught someone by himself and began to beat him.”

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