US blunted UK plans for harsher measures against Israel – report

The Trump administration reportedly talked the British government out of imposing harsher measures against Israel, warning that stronger steps could harm ties with the US and bolster Netanyahu’s reelection bid.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

US pressure prompted Britain to scale back a substantially broader package of sanctions against Israel before announcing new restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, according to a report by Israel Hayom Wednesday citing diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government had initially considered significantly harsher measures, but US officials privately warned London against going too far, amid concerns that sweeping sanctions could damage Britain’s security relationship with Israel and trigger a confrontation with the Trump administration.

A senior diplomatic official said that American officials intervened behind the scenes during bilateral discussions and explicitly cautioned Britain against “overplaying its hand.”

British officials were also reportedly warned that severe measures could strengthen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s right-wing bloc ahead of the October 27 election rather than pressure the government into changing policy.

The final British package, announced Tuesday by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, focuses largely on Israeli activity beyond the Green Line.

It includes a ban on imports from settlements, sanctions against individuals and companies involved in settlement construction or financing, a ban on advertising settlement property in Britain and restrictions on arms and other exports deemed to materially contribute to Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria.

British diplomats privately told Washington before the announcement that the measures were “largely symbolic” and would have “no material impact” on Britain’s broader trade or security relationship with Israel, according to people familiar with the discussions.

London has likewise publicly stressed that the sanctions are directed at settlements rather than Israel as a whole.

“The sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel,” Miliband told Parliament.

“We will continue to support important and valued trade with green line Israel,” he added, saying he “wholeheartedly” opposed the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Britain also announced new measures against Iran and Hezbollah at the same time, including sanctions against Hezbollah’s financial arm Al-Qard Al-Hassan and the reimposition of major economic sanctions on Tehran.

The combination was viewed in London as a way to underscore Britain’s continued commitment to Israeli security despite the confrontation over settlements.

An Israeli official dismissed that effort, saying sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah were overdue and accusing Britain of attempting to “legitimize the illegitimate.”

The official described the maneuver as “dirty.”

Burnham personally briefed Trump before the sanctions were announced.

By that point, however, the package had already been narrowed, according to Wednesday’s report.

A Western official familiar with the conversation said Trump did not ask Burnham to abandon or postpone the measures.

“There was no request to hold off,” the official said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stopped short of publicly condemning the final British decision.

“We were made aware that they are gonna make this decision. We heard their arguments as to why,” Rubio said. “We share the goal of stability. We don’t want to see an uptick in violence or tensions in the West Bank in a tenuous time in the region.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee struck a much harsher tone before the announcement, warning that “the repercussions are going to be significant” if Britain imposed sanctions and a boycott on settlements.

A White House official subsequently said Huckabee’s comments had not been coordinated with either the White House or State Department.

Britain’s measures were announced alongside France and Canada, while Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden also backed national or European restrictions on settlement trade or said they were considering additional measures.

The initiative was prompted in part by Israel’s decision to advance the E1 project east of Jerusalem, including a tender for more than 1,200 housing units.

Britain and other participating governments argue that construction in the area would further undermine the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Israel responded forcefully after the sanctions package was announced, ordering the closure of Britain’s consulate in eastern Jerusalem and removing British personnel from a US-led Gaza coordination center.

Israel also ended British involvement in training Palestinian Authority security forces and barred a dozen British nationals from entering the country.