US officials drafted a statement for Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning British, French and Canadian plans to ban trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, but the document was never approved or released, Reuters reported.

The 8 September draft was prepared by officials in Jerusalem and Washington and proposed describing the three countries’ measures as hostile to Israel and contributing to antisemitism, according to the document reviewed by Reuters.

“These tactics unacceptably draw from the playbook of the antisemitic boycotts, divestments and sanctions movement,” the draft said. Reuters reported that two sources familiar with its preparation said the initiative was driven by David Milstein, an influential aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

The statement was never issued.

Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that it did not have the support of the White House or senior State Department officials. A senior US official separately told the agency that the draft had not been prepared in consultation with either the White House or the State Department.

The White House did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The US embassy referred questions about Huckabee and Milstein to the State Department.

Rubio took a notably more restrained public position on 8 September. Asked about Britain’s announcement before travelling from Florida to Latin America, he said: “Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now.”

Britain, France and Canada were among 12 governments that day to announce plans for national measures or support for European restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements. The joint statement said London, Paris and Ottawa would bring forward national measures to ban trade in settlement goods.

Those governments said Israeli settlement expansion and rising settler violence were threatening the prospects for a two-state solution, pointing in particular to plans for the E1 settlement project. Israel rejects international criticism of its settlement policy and disputes the prevailing international legal position on the territory.

The unpublished US draft points to differing approaches inside the Trump administration over the West Bank. Huckabee has been a longstanding supporter of Israeli settlements and frequently uses the term “Judea and Samaria” for the territory, while President Donald Trump has at times publicly opposed steps towards annexation.

In September 2025, Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, telling reporters: “It’s not going to happen.”

Huckabee has also condemned attacks by violent settlers. During a visit to the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya earlier this month, he said people who intimidate residents or try to seize property to which others have legal title could be described as “terrorists”.

Public opinion in the United States has also shifted. A Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters conducted in June found that 48% believed Washington was too supportive of Israel, including 66% of Democrats.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March found that 57% of Republicans aged 18 to 49 held an unfavourable view of Israel, compared with 50% a year earlier. Older Republicans remained substantially more positive.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. In a 2024 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice found Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful and said it should cease new settlement activity. Israel rejected the opinion.

About 500,000 Israeli settlers and roughly three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, according to figures cited by Reuters. Palestinians seek the territory, together with East Jerusalem and Gaza, for a future state.

As of Wednesday, the proposed Rubio statement remained unpublished and there was no indication that the White House or senior State Department leadership had adopted its language.