UK to Sanction West Bank Settlements, Angering Trump — SkimNews
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- UK PM Andy Burnham's government is set to announce a ban on trade with Israeli West Bank settlements on Tuesday, a policy issue central to his governing Labour Party
- Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will unveil the new sanctions regime, which targets Jewish settlements in the West Bank rather than Israel broadly
- Netanyahu's hard-right Israeli government has threatened retaliation against London over the British move
- Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for reelection next month as the sanctions land, raising the political stakes of the dispute
- President Donald Trump, whose administration backs Israeli settlements, is expected to be angered by the British sanctions regime
Why it matters: Burnham has picked a fight on two fronts — Netanyahu's threatened retaliation and Trump's expected displeasure — weeks before an Israeli election. The narrow scope (settlements only, not Israel broadly) is designed to limit diplomatic fallout while satisfying Labour's base.
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