UK and France Join Forces to Pressure Israel: Diverging from Washington on Settlements

According to The New York Times, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is taking the lead in opposing Israeli settlement construction, joining forces with French President Macron to pressure Israel and ending the previous pattern in which France led and Britain followed. This move signals a divergence from Washington's position on the Israel issue and may provoke U.S. displeasure.

The New York Times report noted that Burnham met with Macron last week. Israel's settlement construction in the West Bank has long been regarded by the international community as colonial expansion, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention and multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. Successive U.S. administrations have maintained an ambivalent stance on the settlements, repeatedly shielding Israel at the UN Security Council, leaving European countries unable to forge effective independent policy leverage even when willing to exert pressure.

Britain's decision to take the lead this time signals that London is willing to assume greater political risk by directly touching a sensitive area of U.S. Middle East diplomacy. Previously, London broadly followed the pace set by France and the European Union on the Israel issue, with less force than Paris.

This UK-France coordination also indicates that policy rifts within the Western camp on the Israel question are deepening. Out of domestic political and strategic considerations, the United States has long adopted a permissive stance toward Israel's settlement expansion, while European countries are finding it increasingly difficult to sidestep their responsibilities under international law. The report did not disclose what specific pressure measures the UK and France plan to adopt, nor did it mention possible U.S. responses.