US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it
A draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio was never released.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
מייק האקבי, שגריר ארה"ב בישראל, עם דונלד טראמפ
Photograph: Ynet News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US officials prepared a draft statement in early September that would have condemned the UK, France, and Canada for plans to block imports from Israeli settlements.
- The draft statement, attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, proposed describing the countries' actions as hostile measures contributing to antisemitism.
- The statement was never released, with three people familiar with the matter stating it lacked support from the White House and senior State Department leadership.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to outright criticise the countries' decisions when speaking to reporters on September 8.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 18 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 22 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
20/100
22 sources · methodology
In early September, US officials drafted a statement that would have condemned the United Kingdom, France, and Canada for their plans to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The draft document, attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, proposed characterising these actions as hostile measures that contribute to antisemitism. The statement was never released.
Three individuals familiar with the matter stated that the draft statement did not have the support of the White House or the State Department's senior leadership. On September 8, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to reporters and refrained from direct criticism of the decision or any specific country involved.
Disagreement on statement's origin
Devdiscourse and Ynet News reported that two sources said the draft statement was driven by David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. A senior US official told Reuters that the draft statement was not prepared in consultation with the State Department or the White House.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports mention David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, as a driver of the draft statement. The right-rated reports do not mention the polling data on US public support for Israel or the broader context of the US administration's policy on Israeli settlements that was included in the centre-rated reports.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 12 times, most recently on 24 Sept 2026, 11:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- Aljazeera.net reported that a US memo accused France, Britain, and Canada of adopting plans derived from anti-Semitic strategies, against the backdrop of announced sanctions against Israel’s policy in the West Bank. Al-Monitor and Ynet News, which published full reports, highlighted the draft statement's proposed language and its eventual shelving by the White House.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports led with the core fact that the US drafted a memo condemning UK, France, and Canada over West Bank sanctions, which was never released. Reuters, Devdiscourse, BusinessWorld Online, The Japan Times, Jerusalem Post, Hindustan Times, and WTVB all carried this information. Devdiscourse and Ynet News, the only outlets with full reports, included details about the statement's proposed language and the reasons for its shelving, citing a lack of support from the White House and senior State Department leadership. Devdiscourse also noted a widening divide between the White House and Trump's senior diplomats in Israel regarding settlement policy and included polling data on US public support for Israel.
Right
8 rated outlets
- Right-rated outlets focused on the shelving of the US draft statement. Israel Hayom, Arutz Sheva, The Algemeiner, Arab News, Cyprus Mail, and The Straits Times all reported that the US draft condemning the UK over West Bank sanctions was shelved or blocked. Arutz Sheva specifically stated the White House blocked the statement. Times of India mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not criticize these countries during a subsequent press conference and included polling data on public support for Israel.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it?
- Of the 18 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 39% are rated centre, 44% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 22. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 18 rated outlets on this story, 17% are rated left, 39% are rated centre, 44% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it biased?
- US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it is one event reported by 22 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it?
- 22 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was the US draft statement about?
- US officials prepared a draft statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that would have condemned plans by the UK, France, and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It proposed describing these actions as hostile measures contributing to antisemitism.
- Why was the US draft statement never released?
- Three people familiar with the matter stated that the draft statement was not supported by the White House and the State Department's senior leadership. A senior US official also indicated it was not prepared in consultation with these bodies.
- What did Secretary of State Marco Rubio say about the countries' actions?
- When speaking to reporters on September 8, Secretary of State Marco Rubio refrained from outright criticism of the decision or any particular country. He stated, 'Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did... but I don’t have any comment on it right now.'
Read it at the source
22 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Who Prepared It and Why Wasn't It Published? A US Document Condemns Britain, France, and Canada. (opens aljazeera.net in a new tab)
aljazeera.net — is aljazeera.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. The White House shelved it. (opens Ynet News in a new tab)
- Exclusive-US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Al-Monitor in a new tab)
Al-Monitor — is Al-Monitor biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
7- US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - BusinessWorld Online (opens bworldonline.com in a new tab)
bworldonline.com — is bworldonline.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- EXCLUSIVE-US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Devdiscourse in a new tab)
Devdiscourse — is Devdiscourse biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. drafted unreleased memo condemning U.K. over West Bank sanctions (opens The Japan Times in a new tab)
The Japan Times — is The Japan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but it was never released (opens Jerusalem Post in a new tab)
Jerusalem Post — is Jerusalem Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Exclusive-US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
8- Report: US draft condemning settlement import bans shelved (opens Israel Hayom in a new tab)
Israel Hayom — is Israel Hayom biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The US Refused to Condemn European Countries' Anti-Israel Sanctions (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- US drafted Rubio memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Report: White House blocked statement condemning UK sanctions on Judea and Samaria (opens Arutz Sheva in a new tab)
Arutz Sheva — is Arutz Sheva biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US Drafted Memo Condemning UK Over West Bank Sanctions. It Was Never Released. (opens The Algemeiner in a new tab)
The Algemeiner — is The Algemeiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens Arab News in a new tab)
- Draft US rebuke of UK over Israeli settlement sanctions shelved (opens Cyprus Mail in a new tab)
Cyprus Mail — is Cyprus Mail biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
4- US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - THE LOCAL REPORT ARTICLES (opens Thelocalreport.in in a new tab)
Thelocalreport.in — is Thelocalreport.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The White House Is Stopping an American Bill Against Britain, France and Canada on Settlements. (opens Im Arabic in a new tab)
- Secret US Draft Criticizes Allies over Sanctions on Israeli Settlements (opens Actualno.com in a new tab)
Actualno.com — is Actualno.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- America Has Prepared a Note Condemning Britain because of the West Bank, but It Has Never Been Published. (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
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