Countries boycotting Israel could face retaliatory sanctions, US warns

Recent developments have opened a new economic dispute between Washington and several Western European governments.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon warned that countries imposing boycotts targeting Israel could face retaliatory U.S. sanctions, as several Western governments move to restrict trade involving Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

A coalition of 12 nations, including the U.K., France, Canada and Ireland, recently announced trade restrictions and import bans covering goods produced in Judea and Samaria settlements.

U.S. officials have specifically criticized measures advanced by the U.K. and Norway.

The Trump administration has characterized the European restrictions as part of the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement and described them as antisemitic.

President Donald Trump reportedly backed the sanctions warning, indicating that further economic measures against Israel could prompt a reciprocal U.S. response.

Last month, the Netherlands and the U.K. announced bans on business activities connected to areas they describe as Israeli settlements.

The restrictions include Jerusalem and other locations that the United States considers fully under Israeli sovereignty.

The Dutch measures could also affect goods carried by individuals rather than solely commercial imports.

An American Jew arriving in Amsterdam with Israeli-made tefillin, or phylacteries, could be required to demonstrate to Dutch authorities that they were not manufactured in Hebron.

The dispute comes as the U.K. and Dutch governments are opposing new U.S. sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague and receives strong support from European countries.

The State Department last week announced sanctions against the ICC as an institution.

The United States had previously sanctioned individual ICC officials, but those measures had little effect.

The broader restrictions could create more significant obstacles for the court because banks and technology companies may be unwilling to provide services to an institution subject to U.S. sanctions.

The developments have opened a new economic dispute between Washington and several Western European governments centered on sanctions and boycotts rather than tariffs.