US officials drafted a statement accusing the United Kingdom, France and Canada of taking hostile measures against Israel over restrictions on trade linked to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, but the document was never released after failing to win support from senior White House and State Department officials.
The draft, dated September 8, was prepared by US officials in Jerusalem and Washington and was intended to be issued in the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Reuters reported that two people familiar with the matter said the document was driven by David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
The proposed statement criticized plans by Britain, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The draft characterized the measures as contributing to antisemitism and compared them with the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
The statement was ultimately not issued. Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the White House and senior State Department leadership did not support the proposed language. A senior US official also said the draft had not been prepared in consultation with the White House or the State Department.
Rubio took a more restrained position publicly on September 8. Asked about Britain’s announcement, he said the United States would not adopt the same measure but declined to directly criticize Britain or the other countries involved.
The episode comes amid differing views within the Trump administration over how Washington should respond to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. Trump has previously expressed opposition to further settlement expansion, while Huckabee has been a strong supporter of Israeli settlements and frequently uses the biblical term “Judea and Samaria” when referring to the West Bank.
Britain’s trade restrictions are part of a wider international response to Israeli settlement activity. The UK, France and Canada announced measures targeting imports connected to settlements, while other countries have also taken steps aimed at companies and activities associated with settlement expansion.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the status of Israeli settlements in the West Bank remains deeply disputed. The United Nations and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law, while Israel rejects that characterization and regards the territory as disputed.
The controversy also comes as violence and tensions in the West Bank remain high. Reuters reported that settler violence against Palestinians has increased this year, while the Israeli government includes ministers who are themselves settlers. Huckabee has publicly condemned violence by settlers and called for perpetrators to face prosecution.
The unreleased memo therefore offers a glimpse into an internal policy debate over how the United States should respond to its allies’ growing economic pressure on Israeli settlements. The fact that the statement was drafted but never issued underscores the differences within Washington over the appropriate public response to the latest West Bank trade restrictions.
