Israel Responds to UK Settlement Trade Ban with Diplomatic Retaliation
Israel has responded to the United Kingdom's decision to ban trade with settlements in the occupied West Bank by declaring it will shutter Britain's diplomatic mission to the Palestinians. The administration announced that the UK move was preceded by a notification to the government, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio noting that the US does not intend to replicate the British policy. In response to the UK's trade ban, Israel will also remove British military staff from an international coordination base near Gaza, end British training of Palestinian security forces, and bar several left-wing British members of parliament from entering the Israel. The UK move was motivated by a desire to stop the destruction of the two-state solution, with the UK foreign secretary accusing Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank. While the administration remains focused on regional stability, Trump said he would speak to Israel to understand their thinking regarding the sudden shift in diplomatic relations.
Sources
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Muted US response to UK's West Bank sanctions may reflect simmering frustration
BBC
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Labor friends of Palestine criticise Australia’s decision not to join sanctions on Israeli settlements in West Bank
The Guardian
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Israel's retaliation against UK likely made Britain 'wince,' Elliott Abrams says
The Jerusalem Post