WASHINGTON — In early September, US officials in Jerusalem and Washington prepared a draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The September 8-dated document, previously unreported and which two sources said was driven by David Milstein, an influential aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, proposed that Rubio describe the countries’ actions as a series of hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism.

“These tactics unacceptably draw from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement,” the draft document, reviewed by Reuters, said.

The statement was never released.

According to three people familiar with the matter, the statement was not supported by the White House and the State Department’s senior leadership.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity.

Instead, speaking to reporters on September 8 in Florida before traveling to Latin America, Rubio refrained from outright criticism of the decision or any particular country.

“Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now,” Rubio said.

US President Donald Trump, asked in a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday for his thoughts on the UK’s ban on trade with settlements, claimed he was unfamiliar with the decision.

However, a Western official told The Times of Israel earlier this month that the US president was briefed by Burnham ahead of London’s announcement of the sanctions regime, but refrained from pushing back on the initiative.

The episode illustrates a widening divide between the White House and Trump’s senior diplomats in Israel about how best to respond to the........

© The Times of Israel