PM to push back on Western sanctions against settlements in UN address – report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use his address to the UN General Assembly tomorrow to push back against mounting Western pressure over Israeli settlements and settler violence in the West Bank, Channel 12 reports.

The issue gained urgency earlier this month when 12 Western countries announced plans to impose or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements. Britain, France and Canada separately pledged to ban imports of settlement goods and target settlements and those who facilitate or profit from them.

According to Channel 12, Israeli officials believe Britain and France are leading an effort to persuade the Trump administration to adopt a tougher position on the issue.

Israel is reportedly concerned that measures initially targeting settlements and businesses operating beyond the Green Line could ultimately be extended to companies inside Israel’s pre-1967 territory, given the difficulty of separating their activities and supply chains.

Netanyahu is expected to defend Israel’s conduct in both Gaza and the West Bank, Channel 12 says. US diplomats cited by the network say concern over settler violence has already spread beyond Europe and is now regularly raised within the Trump administration.

Earlier today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We’ve communicated to everyone that the president really doesn’t think the world right now needs a West Bank crisis.”