US officials threaten retaliation against UK over Israeli settlements sanctions

US officials have threatened retaliation against the UK over new trade sanctions imposed on illegal Israeli settlements, according to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The ambassador suggested that the Trump administration could publicly rebuke the British government in response to the sanctions. Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine warned that British companies could face trade barriers in Florida if they comply with the UK's ban on Israeli settlement goods.

Fine accused the UK of pursuing a "vanity project in support of Muslim terror" and warned that British companies could be prohibited from doing business in Florida if they are forced to comply with the sanctions. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is Jewish, faced accusations of "Jew hate" from Huckabee, who accused the UK of discrimination against the Jewish people.