Key facts
- A draft US statement condemning UK, France, and Canada for blocking imports from Israeli settlements was prepared in early September.
- The draft statement, attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, called the actions "hostile measures against Israel" and linked them to antisemitic boycotts.
- The statement was not released because it lacked support from the White House and senior State Department leadership.
- US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee's aide, David Milstein, was reportedly behind the draft statement.
- President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
A draft statement prepared by US officials in early September, attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, condemned planned import blocks from Israeli settlements by the UK, France, and Canada. The document, reviewed by Reuters, described the countries' actions as "hostile measures against Israel" and stated they "unacceptably draw from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement."
However, the statement was never released. According to three people familiar with the matter, it lacked support from the White House and the State Department's senior leadership. The draft was reportedly driven by David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Instead of issuing the strong condemnation, Rubio, speaking to reporters on September 8, stated, "Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now."
The episode highlights a divide between the White House and senior US diplomats in Israel regarding responses to the expansion of Israeli settlements. President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank, though his administration has exerted little pressure on Israel to alter its policies. Ambassador Huckabee, a Baptist minister, has been a vocal supporter of settlements and refers to the West Bank by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria.
Polling indicates a growing ideological split within the American right regarding support for Israel, with younger Republicans showing increasingly unfavorable opinions of the US's Middle East ally.