US administration divided over settlement import bans

Internal disagreements within the Trump administration have surfaced regarding the handling of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. A leaked draft document from early September reveals a proposed statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would have condemned plans by the United Kingdom, France, and Canada to ban imports from Israeli settlements.

The draft, reportedly initiated by David Milstein—an influential aide to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee—suggested describing the European and Canadian moves as ‘a series of hostile actions against Israel’ and linking them to antisemitism and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) strategies. However, the statement was never released after failing to gain support from the White House and senior State Department officials.

In subsequent remarks, Rubio avoided direct criticism of the three nations, stating only that the United States ‘will not do what the United Kingdom has done.’ The incident highlights ideological tensions within the American right regarding Israel, as well as friction between the White House and officials in Israel over settlement policy. While President Trump has previously expressed opposition to settlement expansion, his administration has yet to exert significant pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to alter its policies.