Incoming UK prime minister plans to sanction Israel, drawing ire from US

The Trump administration warns Andy Burnham, who is slated to become Britain’s next premier, not to move forward with plans to impose new sanctions on Israel. 

By World Israel News Staff

The Trump administration has warned that measures intended to economically isolate Israel would harm American interests and obstruct peace efforts, setting up a potential dispute with incoming British prime minister Andy Burnham over his plans for a tougher policy toward Israel.

The warning followed Burnham’s announcement that Britain could impose additional sanctions on Israel over the Jewish state’s policies in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, including a ban on the import of goods produced in Israeli communities beyond the Green Line.

Asked about legislation recently approved in Ireland banning such imports, a US State Department spokesperson said Washington “firmly opposes this effort” and rejects attempts to economically isolate or discriminate against Israel.

The spokesperson said such measures “subvert US interests” and “undermine the prospects for peace.”

Although the statement was issued in response to a question about Ireland, it places the Trump administration in direct opposition to a policy Burnham has said his government will consider after he enters Downing Street.

Burnham is expected to be confirmed as Labour leader on Friday and appointed prime minister by King Charles III on Monday, July 20. He effectively secured the leadership after receiving nominations from 322 of Labour’s 403 members of Parliament, leaving potential rivals without a realistic path to challenge him.

The former Greater Manchester mayor has promised broad continuity in Britain’s alliances with the United States, NATO and Ukraine, but has indicated that his approach to Israel and the Palestinians will differ substantially in tone from that of outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Burnham last week apologized for Labour’s initial response to the war that followed the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

“I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’t get it right, and I am sorry about that,” Burnham said.

He accused the British government of waiting too long to call for a ceasefire and said more pressure should now be placed on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“We need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions,” Burnham said, while also proposing measures against trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements.

He has not explained precisely who or what entities would be covered by the planned additional sanctions. His comments suggested that measures could target individuals accused of involvement in violence in Gaza as well as those linked to alleged incidents of violence in Judea and Samaria.

Burnham stopped short of accusing Israel of genocide, saying that judgment should be left to international courts. He nevertheless said there was increasing evidence that war crimes may have been committed and called the destruction in Gaza a “scar on our collective conscience.”

Britain has already imposed financial sanctions and travel restrictions on several Israelis accused of violence or incitement against Palestinians, along with several Israeli government officials.

In June 2025, the UK joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The British government said the measures were imposed over repeated statements that it considered incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.

Israel strongly condemned those sanctions, accusing the participating governments of rewarding Hamas and interfering in Israeli domestic affairs.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said discussions of Gaza must recognize Hamas’s responsibility for beginning and prolonging the war, including its continued possession of weapons and use of civilian areas for military operations.

The organizations also urged Burnham to confront antisemitism emerging from Islamist and far-left movements as firmly as he has condemned hostility from the far right.