US won’t join UK ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements

What the report says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will not follow the United Kingdom in sanctioning or restricting trade tied to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera. The remarks came as the UK moved ahead with action against what it describes as illegal settlements, and as France and Canada were also reported to be taking steps on the issue.

Al Jazeera’s report places the comments in the context of widening Western criticism of Israeli settlement activity and the treatment of Palestinians in parts of the West Bank. The UK has said Palestinians there face ethnic cleansing by Israeli settlers, underscoring how sharply the issue has escalated diplomatically.

The development matters because it highlights a split among close allies over how to respond to settlement expansion and related violence. The United States has often taken a more cautious approach than some European partners on measures targeting Israel, although the article does not provide details on any specific US policy changes beyond Rubio’s rejection of the UK approach.

The report was published on September 8, 2026. It does not indicate any immediate new US sanctions or trade restrictions, only that Washington will not join the British move.