Fears are rising that a major US state could boycott Britain in retaliation to its sanctions on Israel over settlements in the West Bank.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister confirmed he would fast-track a trade ban against settlements in the region and declared Britain would not stand back and accept the “destruction of the two-state solution”.
The announcement comes in response to Israeli plans to open tenders for the construction of 1,200 settler homes in a key area of the West Bank known as E1.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had already confirmed plans for sanctions on Israel as part of a “comprehensive reset” in relations with the Jewish state.
Florida Congressman Randy Fine has now warned the move could risk triggering a formal boycott from the Sunshine State – the third-largest in the US by population and fourth-largest by GDP.
In a stark warning to Labour, Mr Fine said ministers “should be aware” that a state law that he passed would ban any British firm boycotting Israel from doing business with any state or local government in Florida.
“It would also end any British business participating in that boycott from doing any business in Florida if it needed any official interaction with state or local government to operate (permits, tax collection),” he said.
Mr Fine said his state was one of Britain’s largest trading partners and warned that Labour “should understand that their vanity project in support of Muslim terror could cost them billions of dollars”.
“For those who doubt the power of this policy,” he added, “it was this same law that broke Airbnb’s misguided effort to boycott portions of Israel in 2019. They realised that this law would have bankrupted their company”.
“Florida has made it clear. Any company – or nation – that boycotts Israel is boycotted by Florida,” Mr Fine said.
Responding to a comment under the post, the Republican branded the UK “the United Islamic Kingdom”.
Despite the congressman’s threats, the UK is Florida’s top foreign investor, with British companies supporting up to 88,000 jobs in the state.
The Sunshine State is also a top tourist destination for Britons, with roughly 1.1 million visitors from the UK every year.
But back in the UK, business owners are already raising fears over the Florida threat.
Former MEP Lance Foreman claimed his smoked salmon business would be barred from selling to Florida, which it has done for years, if the anti-BDS law was invoked.
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“Can I hold Miliband personally responsible for losses and sue?” he asked followers on social media.
The US President is still yet to issue a formal response to the UK’s sanctions, which were rolled out alongside nations including Canada and France.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a measured response overnight, insisting both Britain and the US “share the goal” of peace in the region.
Though he admitted Washington would “obviously” not be joining Britain in banning trade with West Bank settlements.
“Obviously, we’re not going to do what the UK did. We saw their announcement today, but I don’t have any comment on it right now,” he told reporters in Miami.
When pressed about whether the US could retaliate against Britain’s measures, Mr Rubio stopped short at saying whether that would be the case.
“We were made aware that they were going to make this decision. We heard their arguments as to why. But we share the goal of stability,” he said.
“We don’t want to see some uptick in violence or an uptick in conflict or tensions in the West Bank at a very tenuous time in the region.”
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar unveiled a range of counter-measures against Britain, including the closing of the UK’s consulate in Jerusalem.
He also confirmed the UK will no longer be allowed to participate in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza and banned 12 British MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana from entering Israel.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Mr Sa’ar said: “We do not return to our land after 2,000 years in order to lose it under the pressure of Islamists, antisemites, jihadists, woke people and people from the extreme left.
“Not only will you not harm us, you will harm yourselves.”
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