The Trump administration did not try to stop the British initiative to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, and the White House has also refrained from condemning it.
Barak Ravid reported for Axios, citing U.S. officials and Western diplomats, that Washington chose not to push back on the UK-led effort, which 11 other Western countries have joined. He wrote that the decision signals the administration's frustration with the Netanyahu government's policy in the territory.Britain announced Tuesday that it will sanction individuals and entities involved in building settlements, and will ban imports of goods produced in them. The 12-nation effort is led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and it follows the Netanyahu government's decision to advance a new settlement in the sensitive E1 area.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment on the British announcement on Tuesday, saying only that the two countries share the goal of stability. He told reporters in Miami that the United States would not take the step Britain had taken, and that Washington does not want to see destabilizing developments in the territory while so much else is happening in the region.
Burnham's office said the prime minister spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday and laid out Britain's commitment to working toward regional peace and security and a two-state solution. It gave no account of Trump's response.
