UK, France and ten other countries to sanction trade from Israeli settlements

The Trump administration did not object to a United Kingdom-led effort to implement new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to U.S. officials and Western diplomats. This decision reflects the administration's dissatisfaction with the actions of the Netanyahu government in the region.

On Tuesday, the UK announced it would impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the construction of settlements in the West Bank, as well as a ban on imported goods from those settlements. This move came in reaction to the Netanyahu government's decision to proceed with a new settlement in the contentious E1 area, which would fragment the West Bank and hinder any future Palestinian state with contiguous territory.

Eleven other Western nations, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, joined the UK in announcing their plans to introduce national restrictions or support European sanctions on trade with the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. In response, the Netanyahu government closed the UK consulate in East Jerusalem, expelled British diplomats and military personnel from a U.S.-led Gaza task force, and ended a British military training exercise in the West Bank.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham discussed the sanctions with President Trump prior to the announcement. Sources familiar with their conversation state that Trump neither disagreed nor requested Burnham to alter the course of the sanctions. U.S. officials communicated to their British counterparts that they shared concerns about the Netanyahu government's policies in the West Bank, even if they disagreed with these specific measures.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not criticize the UK's decision when asked about it by reporters on Tuesday. He stated that the U.S. shares the objective of stability in the region and does not want to see an escalation of violence or tensions in the West Bank. The White House attempted to distance itself from comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to the BBC, who described the UK's sanctions as discriminatory against Jewish people.

The UK has imposed sanctions against Russia, North Korea, and China in the past for various reasons.