Britain’s prime minister speaks with President Trump about planned sanctions against Israel, as UK diplomats downplay significance of the sanctions – even as Britain lobbies other countries to join.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsBritain is reportedly lobbying other countries to join its planned sanctions against Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria even as British diplomats have privately assured the Trump administration that London’s own measures will be largely symbolic and have little effect on its broader relationship with Israel.The seemingly contrasting diplomatic tracks emerged Tuesday as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was poised to announce restrictions on trade in goods and some services connected to Israeli communities beyond the 1949 armistice lines.According to information obtained by senior Israeli political officials, Britain has begun approaching other governments in an effort to persuade them to adopt similar sanctions, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Tuesday. France was identified as one of the countries that could be among the first to join the British initiative.There has been no public confirmation from Paris that it intends to adopt the British measures.The diplomatic campaign suggests London is seeking to transform its initiative from a largely bilateral step into a broader international effort to increase economic pressure on Israel over Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.At the same time, British diplomats have reportedly delivered a notably different message in private conversations with the United States.According to Bloomberg reporting, UK officials have sought to reassure the Trump administration that Britain’s measures will be largely symbolic and will not materially damage the country’s wider trade or security relationship with Israel.British officials are reportedly concerned that the sanctions could become the first significant source of friction between newly installed Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Donald Trump.Burnham spoke with Trump by telephone Monday and discussed Israel, planned UK sanctions on Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria, and British efforts to promote the two-state solution.The British effort to minimize the sanctions’ practical significance in Washington is supported by the relatively small volume of goods expected to be affected.Annual trade between Britain and Israel totals roughly £6 billion, while imports originating in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria represent a small fraction of that amount and consist largely of agricultural products, including produce and wine.Reuters reported Tuesday that the immediate economic effect of the import ban is consequently expected to be limited.The significance of the measure could increase substantially, however, if Britain succeeds in persuading other governments to adopt parallel restrictions.London has previously organized coordinated sanctions against Israelis accused of involvement in violence against Palestinians. In June, Britain announced sanctions alongside Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and Norway targeting individuals and organizations it said financed or enabled so-called “settler violence.”Miliband said at the time that Britain would “continue to co-ordinate our approach with close allies and look at further concrete steps to counter settlement expansion.”Britain has since hardened its policy further following Israel’s decision to advance construction in the E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.After Israel issued a tender for approximately 1,200 homes there last month, Miliband called the move “an unacceptable and destructive act.”“Britain will not stand back and accept the destruction of the Two-State Solution,” he said, promising a “comprehensive set of measures” against Israeli government policies.The British government argues that construction in E1 would undermine the possibility of creating a contiguous Palestinian state by separating parts of Judea and Samaria from eastern Jerusalem.Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has warned London that Israel will retaliate.“If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain,” Sa’ar said last week. “We have the tools. The period is over when people act against the State of Israel and the State of Israel doesn’t respond.”The prospect that additional countries could join Britain has also drawn a warning from President Isaac Herzog.“Later today, we expect to see headlines announcing certain British trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria,” Herzog said Tuesday. “If this happens — and other nations may join — I believe it will prove to be a grave miscalculation, a decision that will fall on the wrong side of history.”Herzog argued that the restrictions would also hurt Palestinians employed by Israeli businesses in the area.“It will directly harm — unfortunately — Palestinians, robbing them of business and employment,” he said.“Sanctions are not a solution. Dialogue is,” Herzog added. “I say to all foreign governments: Stop! Step away from the dead-end of sanctions and boycotts. And turn toward constructive dialogue and toward cooperation.”Washington has meanwhile issued increasingly explicit warnings of its own.US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accused Britain of singling out Israel and suggested the policy could trigger American retaliation.“I feel like it’s discrimination against the Israeli government. It is discrimination against the Jewish people, and I don’t understand the rationale of it,” Huckabee said.“It’s like throwing a stone and not having an idea of where it’s going to land,” he added. “The UK is a sovereign country; they can do what they want, but so is the US.”Huckabee has specifically pointed to American states with anti-boycott laws that could penalize companies participating in measures targeting Israel.Florida Rep. Randy Fine has separately warned that British businesses complying with London’s policy could lose access to government contracts in Florida under legislation he helped enact while serving in the state legislature.The post UK privately calls Israel sanctions symbolic while urging other countries to join appeared first on World Israel News.