--- title: "US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it" category: "Politics" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-09-24T08:46:20.632Z" source_reported: "2026-09-24T07:42:32.000Z" updated: "2026-09-24T08:46:20.632Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-24T12:15:19.238433+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body, with two independent outlets and a document cited. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes context, quotes affected parties, and separates fact from comment. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Language is measured and proportionate, with no sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 19 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (4) - Centre: 39% (7) - Right: 44% (8) 8 of 27 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-24T12:15:19.238433+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 16 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-24T12:45:27.283Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 5 - high: 9 - unknown: 8 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84](https://athina984.gr/2026/09/24/mesanatoliko-to-empargko-sta-proionta-ton-israilinon-epoikon-prokalei-rigma-stoys-repoymplikanoys) — Middle East: Embargo on Israeli Settler Products Causes Rift Among Republicans - [insider.gr](https://insider.gr/politiki/426036/reuters-l-oikos-kai-steit-ntipartment-mplokaran-anakoinosi-kata-toy-empargko-se) — Reuters: L. House and State Department Block Announcement Against Embargo on Israeli Settler Products - [ERT NEWS](https://ertnews.gr/roi-idiseon/ipa-to-empargko-sta-proionta-ton-israilinon-epoikon-prokalei-rigma-stous-repoumplikanous) — US: Embargo on Israeli Settler Products Causes Rift Among Republicans - [Capital.gr](https://capital.gr/diethni/4019149/reuters-prosxedio-amerikanon-axiomatouxon-kata-tou-empargko-se-proionta-israilinon-oikismon-den-ekdothike-pote) — Reuters: US Officials Draft Resolution Against Embargo on Israeli Settlement Products - Never Issued - [The Citizen](https://thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/international/us-drafted-a-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released-5607124) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Thelocalreport.in](https://articles.thelocalreport.in/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released) — US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - THE LOCAL REPORT ARTICLES - [Israel Hayom](https://israelhayom.com/2026/09/24/report-us-draft-condemning-settlement-import-bans-shelved) — Report: US draft condemning settlement import bans shelved - [Im Arabic](https://imarabic.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%B6-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A) — The White House Is Stopping an American Bill Against Britain, France and Canada on Settlements. - [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/9/24/1454735.html) — The US Refused to Condemn European Countries' Anti-Israel Sanctions - [Actualno.com](https://actualno.com/america/sekretna-chernova-na-sasht-kritikuva-syuznici-zaradi-sankcii-sreshtu-izraelski-selishta-news_2642645.html) — Secret US Draft Criticizes Allies over Sanctions on Israeli Settlements - [bworldonline.com](https://bworldonline.com/world/2026/09/24/781116/us-drafted-a-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - BusinessWorld Online - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-drafted-rubio-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released/articleshow/134449930.cms) — US drafted Rubio memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [aljazeera.net](https://aljazeera.net/news/2026/9/24/%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a3%d8%b9%d8%af%d9%87%d8%a7-%d9%88%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%b4%d8%b1-%d9%88%d8%ab%d9%8a%d9%82%d8%a9) — Who Prepared It and Why Wasn't It Published? A US Document Condemns Britain, France, and Canada. - [Arutz Sheva](https://israelnationalnews.com/news/433567) — Report: White House blocked statement condemning UK sanctions on Judea and Samaria - [Devdiscourse](https://devdiscourse.com/article/international/3981483-exclusive-us-drafted-a-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released) — EXCLUSIVE-US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Unknown](https://alquds.co.uk/%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%A8) — America Has Prepared a Note Condemning Britain because of the West Bank, but It Has Never Been Published. - [Ynet News](https://ynetnews.com/article/skd9mcb9ge) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. The White House shelved it. - [The Japan Times](https://japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/24/world/politics/us-memo-uk-west-bank) — U.S. drafted unreleased memo condemning U.K. over West Bank sanctions - [The Algemeiner](https://algemeiner.com/2026/09/23/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-west-bank-sanctions-was-never-released) — US Drafted Memo Condemning UK Over West Bank Sanctions. It Was Never Released. - [Arab News](https://arabnews.com/world/us-drafted-a-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released-3002865) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/europe/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released-2026-09-23) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Cyprus Mail](https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/09/23/draft-us-rebuke-of-uk-over-israeli-settlement-sanctions-shelved) — Draft US rebuke of UK over Israeli settlement sanctions shelved - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/middle-east/article-909494) — US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but it was never released - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/world/europe/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released) — US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/23/exclusive-us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released) — Exclusive-US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never-released-101790189563711.html) — US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released - [Al-Monitor](https://al-monitor.com/originals/2026/09/exclusive-us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-it-was-never) — Exclusive-US drafted a memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions. It was never released ## Questions **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.' --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US drafted memo condemning UK over West Bank sanctions, but shelved it", https://mediabias.news/politics/us-drafted-memo-condemning-uk-over-west-bank-sanctions-but-shelved-it