Huckabee warns of US retaliation as UK looks to ban trade with ‘Israeli’ settlements

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has accused the UK of discriminating against ‘Israel’ and the Jewish people over planned sanctions on goods from illegal ‘Israeli’ settlements in the occupied West Bank, while warning of possible American retaliation.

Huckabee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the measures felt like “discrimination against the Israeli government. It is discrimination against the Jewish people, and I don’t understand the rationale of it.”

He compared the policy to “throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land,” adding that while the UK is a sovereign country free to act, “so is the US.”

The comments come as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to announce in the House of Commons a ban on trade in goods and some services from ‘Israeli’ settlements, part of what he has described as a “comprehensive reset” of UK policy.

The settlements, built on land occupied since 1967, are illegal under international law and widely seen as a major obstacle to a viable Palestinian state.

‘Israel’ has recently advanced plans for more than 1,200 new homes in the sensitive E1 area east of Jerusalem, a project critics say would further fragment the West Bank and undermine any prospect of a contiguous Palestinian territory.

Palestinian communities have long suffered the effects of settlement expansion, including land seizures, restricted movement, and rising settler violence that often occurs with limited accountability.

Rights groups and the UK government itself have highlighted how these outposts and associated infrastructure erode Palestinian livelihoods and the possibility of a two-state solution.

Miliband has previously called the E1 plans “illegal under international law” and “unacceptable and destructive.”

Huckabee, a long-time supporter of settlement activity who often refers to the West Bank by its biblical name Judea and Samaria, warned that US states could respond.

He claimed the sanctions might have a “huge economic impact on British businesses,” citing Florida’s laws that could restrict trade with companies from countries taking such action, and noting that a significant share of pharmaceuticals used in the UK come from ‘Israel’.

UK officials have reportedly privately described the planned measures as largely symbolic and sought to reassure Washington that broader trade and security ties with ‘Israel’ would remain intact.

Downing Street has rejected earlier claims by Huckabee of “Jew hate” in the British government, stressing continued support for Jewish communities in the UK and describing ‘Israel’ as an ally, while insisting that settlements threaten peace.

The move reflects growing international frustration with ‘Israel’s’ continued settlement construction and the impact on Palestinians living under occupation.