Ambassador Huckabee: UK settlement trade ban likely to provoke US reaction, harm British businesses

8 September 2026, 10:03 am

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US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks during a meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon in the Oval Office at the White House, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

London’s expected announcement today of a ban on trade with West Bank settlements will likely lead to an American reaction, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says.

“If the Brits go and put some kind of boycott and sanctions on them, the repercussions are going to be significant,” he tells BBC News. “Why put this kind of pressure on Israel? Is the UK also putting the same kind of very strong sanction on North Korea, on China, on Russia?”

“Without a doubt there will be” a reaction, he says, including at the level of individual US states.

This could have a “huge economic impact on British businesses,” he says, explaining some could be banned from doing business in certain US states.