Trump admin. did not push back against UK sanctions on Israeli settlements, officials say - report

According to Axios, US President Donald Trump did not object to the planned sanctions during a call between Trump and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham ahead of the the UK's announcement.

The Trump administration did not push back on or oppose the recent decision by the United Kingdom to sanction Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and Western diplomats.

According to Axios, during a call between US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham ahead of the announcement of the sanctions, Trump did not object to the planned sanctions and did not ask Burnham to pursue a different course of action.

Sources also said that US officials shared concerns about Israel's actions in the region and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governmental policies with their British counterparts.

The White House also distanced itself from statements made by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after the sanctions were announced, with an official telling Axios that his statements were not coordinated with either the White House or the State Department.

On Tuesday, Huckabee told the BBC he doesn't know if the UK is "really aware of the implications and how it's going to affect Brits."

He noted the fact that many pharmaceuticals used in the UK are made in Israel. While he put the figure at 25%, NHS data puts it at around one in seven.

"This is an irrational action, I don't understand what it is supposed to achieve," Huckabee continued. "If the UK is really interested in dealing with issues they feel like are wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China, Russia?"

"It's discrimination against the Israeli government, discrimination against the Jewish people, and I don't understand the rationale of it."

Rubio warns of destabilization in West Bank 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the United States would not follow the United Kingdom in imposing new measures related to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while warning against actions that could destabilize the area.

The US "doesn't want to see anything destabilizing going on right now on the West Bank," Rubio said.

"We're not going to do what the UK did today regards to the West Bank but I don't have any comment on it," he added.