U.S. Shelves Draft Condemning Western Sanctions on West Bank Settlements
A U.S. draft statement condemning British, French, and Canadian moves against West Bank settlements was shelved after lacking White House backing.
A draft statement prepared by U.S. officials earlier this month, attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, condemned steps taken by Britain, France, and Canada to halt imports of goods from West Bank settlements. The text of the declaration, revealed by Reuters on Wednesday, was ultimately shelved.
The document, dated September 8, was promoted by two sources close to David Milstein, an advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. According to the draft, Rubio was set to label the actions of Britain, France, and Canada as "hostile moves against Israel that fuel antisemitism." The text argued that these tactics were "unacceptably drawn from the toolkit of the antisemitic BDS movement."
According to three officials familiar with the details, the statement was blocked after failing to win backing from the White House and top State Department leadership. On September 8, when asked about the matter by reporters in Florida before flying to South America, Rubio avoided direct criticism of the decision or any specific country: "Obviously, we're not going to do what Britain did. We've seen their announcement, but I have no comment on it."
President Donald Trump expressed opposition earlier this year to settlement expansion, which remains a growing friction point with Arab nations, though his administration has exerted minimal pressure on Israel to alter its policy. This stance has at times put him at odds with Ambassador Huckabee, a staunch settlement supporter. Milstein, Huckabee's advisor, pushed last year for sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court in Hague to thwart arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, though the administration has yet to take that step.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters that "the draft statement was not prepared in consultation with the State Department or the White House." The U.S. Embassy in Israel referred requests for comment from Huckabee and Milstein to the State Department. The White House declined to comment.
Earlier this month, Rubio confirmed reports that the White House had been briefed on Britain's decision to enact sanctions against settlements, saying: "We knew in advance they were going to make the decision." He added that the sanctions have "implications for our ability to move forward in the Strip, for the 20-point plan, and for peace on the border - which we are deeply committed to." At the same time, Rubio clarified that the Trump administration does not intend to join the move.
Following the sanctions decision, a source told Reuters that Israel informed the British Consulate in East Jerusalem that it must close its doors and that its diplomats would lose accreditation within 30 days. Concurrently, reports emerged that British representatives at the U.S. Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat and British diplomats stationed in Ramallah were ordered to leave within a week. Responding to the report in an interview with Sky News, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband termed the decision "very regrettable," stating that he "believes what has been done alongside the international community is the right thing to do."
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that British diplomats clarified in closed-door talks with U.S. counterparts that the new settlement sanctions are largely "symbolic" and that "they are not expected to have a tangible impact on UK-Israel relations in trade and security." According to British officials who spoke to the newspaper, the measures themselves may also be "limited in impact," partly because trade restrictions can be circumvented through the re-labeling of goods. In this context, Miliband told the BBC that he is "confident our security and intelligence cooperation with Israel will continue."
Additionally, Bloomberg reported that London is working "behind the scenes" in an attempt to "calm the Trump administration" out of concern over damaging ties with Washington. Miliband noted that "we need to implement the 20-point plan, dismantle Hamas, get Israel out of Gazan territory, and then return to a genuine peace process." He added: "The October 7 massacre was a murderous atrocity, and Hamas can have no role in Gaza's future; it must disarm its terror infrastructure. If Hamas and the Jihad still run for office, we leave all options open, including sanctions. Significant reforms are still required within the Palestinian Authority as well."
In a related development, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote in an op-ed for Bloomberg that "for years we have called for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognize that these words are meaningless unless we back them up with action." Burnham also revealed that Britain had hesitated to act for "too long" out of fear of being accused of anti-Israeli bias. Burnham clarified that the sanctions are not aimed at the Israeli public, but rather at the "unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government."
