US drafted memo slamming UK’s settlement sanctions that was never released — report

In early September, US officials in Jerusalem and Washington prepared a draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The document was dated September 8 and previously unreported. Two sources say it was driven by David Milstein, an influential aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

It proposed that Rubio describe the countries’ actions as a series of hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism.

“These tactics unacceptably draw from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement,” the draft document, reviewed by Reuters, said, referring to the anti-Israel BDS movement.

The statement was never released.

According to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, the statement was not supported by the White House and the State Department’s senior leadership.

Instead, speaking to reporters on September 8 in Florida before traveling to Latin America, Rubio refrained from outright criticism of the decision or any particular country.

“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,” Rubio said.

Israel fumed over the sanctions, and in the days following the announcement, a request was made by Jerusalem for Washington to intervene on its behalf, according to an Israeli official, who said Jerusalem wanted to prevent the dozen Western countries from quickly implementing their sanctions plans.

The episode illustrates a widening divide between the White House and Trump’s senior diplomats in Israel about how best to respond to the expansion of Israeli West Bank settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

US President Donald Trump earlier this year expressed his opposition to settlement expansion, but his administration has put little pressure on Israel to change its policy. That has at times put him at odds with Huckabee, who is a staunch supporter of settlements.

In response to questions from Reuters, a senior US official says the draft statement was not prepared in consultation with the State Department or White House. The US embassy refers questions, including requests for comment from Huckabee and Milstein, to the State Department.

The White House does not respond to a request for comment.