Trump didn't oppose UK sanctions on Israeli settlements — SkimNews
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- Trump administration did not oppose a UK-led initiative to sanction Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, per US officials and Western diplomats, signaling frustration with Netanyahu's settlement policy
- United Kingdom announced sanctions against individuals and entities involved in settlement construction plus a ban on imported goods from Israeli settlements, joined by Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden
- The trigger was Netanyahu's decision to advance a new settlement in the sensitive E1 area, which would divide the West Bank and prevent territorial contiguity in any future Palestinian state — a project opposed by consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations
- Andy Burnham briefed President Trump ahead of the announcement; Trump did not push back or ask him to change course, according to two sources familiar with the call
- The White House distanced itself from US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's BBC comments attacking the sanctions as "discrimination against the Jewish people," saying his remarks were "not coordinated with the White House" or State Department
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to condemn the UK's move, telling reporters the US shares the goal of stability and doesn't want an uptick in West Bank tensions
- Netanyahu retaliated by closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem, expelling British diplomats and military officers from a US-led Gaza task force, and terminating a British military training mission in the West Bank
Why it matters: The US passive stance greenlit a 12-nation Western sanctions coalition while Netanyahu retaliated against a key US ally — shutting its East Jerusalem consulate and kicking its personnel out of the US-led Gaza task force. The E1 settlement project, which both parties in Washington have long opposed, has now pushed even the Trump administration to stop shielding Israel diplomatically on the West Bank.
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