US President Donald Trump has signalled he does not fully back Britain's decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements, a move announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband as part of a "new approach" to the West Bank. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he intended to consult Israel before forming a view, questioning why the measure had been introduced now, just over a month before Israeli elections. The intervention adds pressure on the UK government, whose policy has already drawn strong criticism domestically and from Israel.

Miliband said the restrictions were necessary because of Israel's continued development of the E1 settlement scheme, which would sever the West Bank from East Jerusalem, and insisted Britain would not "stand by" as settlement expansion undermined a two-state solution. Critics, including the UK's chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, warned the policy amounts to a "de facto boycott" of Israel and could endanger British Jews, while an Israeli government spokesman branded Miliband a "failed figure". In response, Israel closed its consulate in East Jerusalem and barred 11 British MPs from entering the country. The move won explicit backing from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, the UAE and Turkey, who urged other nations to follow suit, while Britain also joined ten other countries in a separate statement reaffirming support for a two-state solution.