US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but it was never released: Reuters
The draft, never released, would have cast UK, France and Canada’s import plans as hostile measures against Israel and antisemitic, Reuters reported.
- In early September, US officials drafted a 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, but the document was never released.
- The draft was driven by David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, reflecting a widening divide between the White House and senior diplomats over how to respond to settlement expansion under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- According to three people familiar with the matter, the statement lacked support from the White House and the State Department's senior leadership, though it characterized the countries' actions as "hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism."
- Speaking in Florida on September 8, Secretary of State Rubio refrained from criticizing the countries, saying, "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."
- Polling reveals an ideological split within the American right, with 57% of Republicans aged 18 to 49 holding an unfavorable view of Israel, even as President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to settlement expansion earlier this year.
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Report: US draft condemning settlement import bans shelved
US officials in Jerusalem and Washington prepared a draft statement in early September attributed to US 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, dated Sept. 8, was driven by David Milstein, a senior adviser to US Ambassador […] The post Report: US draft condemning settlement import bans shelved appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.
US drafted Rubio memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released
US officials prepared a statement condemning UK, France, and Canada for their plans related to Israeli settlements. The draft statement aimed to label their actions as contributing to antisemitism, but it was never released. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not criticize these countries during a subsequent press conference. Polling indicates that public support for Israel has declined among younger Republicans.
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