US Administration Did Not Oppose UK Sanctions on Israeli Settlements

The Trump administration did not object to a UK-led initiative to impose new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Axios reported, citing US officials and Western diplomats. This move was seen as an indication of Washington's dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's settlement policy.

Britain announced on Tuesday that it was imposing sanctions on individuals and entities involved in settlement construction, along with a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements. This action was a response to the Israeli government's decision to proceed with establishing a new settlement in the sensitive E1 area, which could divide the northern and southern West Bank and hinder the geographical contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

Eleven Western countries, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, joined the British initiative. They announced their intention to impose national restrictions and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The E1 area is considered particularly sensitive by successive US administrations, both Republican and Democratic, which have opposed settlement construction projects there for years due to their potential impact on the possibility of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.

The British announcement came amid escalating tensions between London and the Netanyahu government. Israel retaliated by closing the British consulate in occupied Jerusalem, which handles relations with the Palestinian Authority, expelling British diplomats and military officers attached to a US-led task force in Gaza, and ending a British military training mission in the West Bank.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham informed President Trump of the sanctions before their announcement, and Trump did not express any objection or ask him to withdraw the initiative. US officials also informed their British counterparts that Washington shares concerns about the Netanyahu government's policy in the West Bank, even if it does not specifically endorse the British sanctions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not criticize the British move when asked about it, stating that the administration had been informed of the decision and its justifications, and noting that Washington and London share the goal of achieving stability and avoiding escalation of violence and tension in the West Bank.

In contrast, the White House appeared to distance itself from statements made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who criticized the British sanctions in an interview with the BBC, calling them "discrimination against the Jewish people" and "irrational." Huckabee questioned why London had not imposed similar sanctions on North Korea, China, and Russia, despite Britain having previously imposed sanctions on those countries.