Israel’s foreign minister announced on Tuesday that the country would close the British consulate in Jerusalem in retaliation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday that the US does not want anything to destabilise the West Bank and will not join Britain-led economic restrictions with Israeli settlements.Before leaving on a trip to Latin America, Rubio told reporters, “Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did.” He added, “We don’t want to see anything destabilising going on right now in the West Bank with so much going on in the region.”
The UK will prohibit the importation of any commodities from the settlements and prohibit businesses from offering services to the settlements, including as funding, building, infrastructure, real estate, and advertising, according to British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. He declared that trading in items from settlements will likewise be prohibited in France and Canada.Miliband stated, “I don’t think the British people want us to support the occupation by accepting goods from settlements in our stores and supermarkets.”
Since the settlements only generate a modest amount of mostly agricultural exports, the economic impact is probably going to be minimal. However, the action is a further indication of Israel’s increasing isolation due to the Gaza conflict and a symbolic protest by some of its closest allies.
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