Why the US is staying so measured about allies’ sanctions on Israeli settlements

The White House’s approach to U.S. allies hitting Israeli settlers with sanctions comes down to this: Say as little as possible and let it happen.

President Donald Trump engaged on the issue Wednesday only to say he was looking into it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the U.S. didn’t plan to issue its own sanctions, but did not condemn the actions by the U.K. and a number of other countries. He even added that the U.S. shared its allies’ goal of “stability” in the West Bank and preventing further violence there.

An administration official familiar with Israeli policy said such vague statements are indicative of the administration’s strategy.

“We don’t need to get into every spat between allies. Israel can defend itself and they will,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts.

Washington is “staying out of it,” the official added.

It’s a reflection of the delicate line the Trump administration is walking on Israel right now. The White House is open to some actions that push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get in line with Trump’s peace efforts in the region. It’s also wary of making any moves that suggest a break with Israel — a longtime U.S. partner with which it is waging a war against Iran and which still has significant backing in the Republican Party.

Rubio’s comments on Tuesday, which alluded to the administration’s frustration with Israel’s current government, show the White House staking out that middle ground, said Curt Mills, executive director of the anti-interventionist American Conservative magazine, who speaks regularly with administration officials.

“It squares a lot of circles for them,” he said. “If the relationship with the Brits is reasonably good, and it’s a way to sort of clip Bibi’s wings, I think they’re prepared to do it,” he explained, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Washington has watched from the wings as the U.K., France and Canada move forward with sanctions against Israeli settlements, saying they will halt trade with the areas widely considered illegally seized under international law. U.K. officials have stressed that they informed the U.S. of their plans ahead of time and implied that they didn’t get significant pushback.