Draft U.S. Rebuke of UK, France and Canada Over Settlement Trade Curbs Was Shelved

U.S. officials in Jerusalem and Washington drafted a statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning British, French and Canadian plans to block imports from Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, but it was never released. The draft, dated September 8, proposed that Rubio describe the moves as "a series of hostile measures against Israel that contribute to antisemitism." Two people familiar with the matter said it was driven by David Milstein, an aide to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee; three said the White House and senior State Department leadership did not back it. That day, Rubio told reporters the U.S. would not do what Britain did, but offered no further comment.