America Should Follow UK and Sanction West Bank Settlements

September 9, 2026 — New Jewish Narrative (NJN) welcomes today's announcement by the United Kingdom of sanctions targeting West Bank settlements, and calls on the United States and others to follow the UK’s lead to use sanctions to discourage settlement construction and the displacement of Palestinians. 

Today's action is a direct response to the Israeli government's policies, including its current push to build in the E-1 corridor east of Jerusalem. This is a project UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called an "unacceptable and destructive act" that would cut the West Bank in two and foreclose the possibility of a Palestinian state. It also responds to the Israeli government’s displacement of Palestinians from their homes through their support for settlers who attack Palestinians and the IDF’s own actions, like the destruction today in Masafer Yatta.

The UK’s announcement was paired by a statement by the foreign ministers of twelve countries who confirmed their intention to introduce or support trade restrictions on settlements. 

The United States is out of step with these important initiatives. Existing law, like the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, seeks to punish those who restrict trade with West Bank settlements. The Trump Administration has done next to nothing to stop settlement expansion or settler violence targeting Palestinians. 

It is time for American policy to meet the needs of this moment. The United States must not allow the Israeli government to displace Palestinians and continue to reshape the West Bank without consequence. 

Both Congress and the Trump administration need to pursue American sanctions on individuals and businesses involved in building settlements, displacing Palestinians, and furthering the annexation of the West Bank. That includes activities related to the financing, planning, construction, expansion, or maintenance of settlements.

"America can’t keep pretending that the West Bank doesn’t matter,” said Hadar Susskind, NJN President and CEO. “Every day the United States sits this out, it tells the Israeli government that annexation carries no cost. That has to change. And London just gave Washington a road map for how to do it. 

“Some people are already framing the sanctions as an anti-Israeli move – that’s clearly not true. Sanctions on settlements are not sanctions on Israel. NJN exists to support a safe, secure, and flourishing Israel. These sanctions are the best hope to stop the settlements that pose a clear and present threat to Israel’s long-term viability.”