Rubio Says U.S. Concerned About Settler Violence, Trump Opposes West Bank Status Quo Change

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that attacks by Israeli settlers 'have targeted security forces' and urged Israel to act decisively before the violence spirals further, amid a recent surge in deadly attacks on Palestinians

March 28th, 01AM March 28th, 01AM

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the United States is "concerned" about escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

"You have seen some of these groups and individuals; they have attacked security forces. I think you will see the government do something about it," he told reporters after the G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.

Rubio's comments add to growing international alarm over rising Jewish nationalist violence. U.S. Ambassador to Jerusalem Mike Huckabee warned about the cumulative damage caused by extremist attacks, while his counterpart in Washington, Yehiel Leiter, told Israeli news outlet Yedioth Ahronoth that the phenomenon "alienates Israel's true friends in the United States."

Last week, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called on "all elements in the country to act against the phenomenon and eradicate it before it is too late."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich acknowledged the existence of "marginal phenomena of violence that endanger the entire settlement enterprise" in a column published Friday in Makor Rishon.

He stressed, however, that Israel should not yield to "a false and orchestrated campaign" aimed at portraying settlements in Judea and Samaria as illegitimate.

Over the past month, the number of Palestinians killed by settlers has surged. The most recent victim is Mohammed Ahmed Faraj, a resident of East Jerusalem, who was shot dead on Thursday, reportedly by settlers who had established an outpost on his family's land.

Two weeks earlier, a resident of Qusra was killed after masked settlers threw stones, tried to enter homes, and damaged property. A week before that, three residents of Khirbet Abu Falah were shot dead.

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