Today, Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the “tensions” taking place in the occupied West Bank, stressing at the same time that Washington would not join Western countries, led by Britain, that decided to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements. Rubio told reporters, before leaving his country on a visit to Latin America: “Naturally, we will not do what the United Kingdom did.” He added: “But we share the goal of stability. We do not want to see anything destabilizing or leading to increased tensions currently in the West Bank, at a time when the region is witnessing a lot of events.” For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that France intends to begin measures to ban Israeli settlement products in the occupied West Bank, in light of the escalation of violence committed by settlers, which further undermines the chances of a two-state solution. Barrow noted that France “will put an end to its trade with Israeli settlements in Palestine,” along with 11 other countries that have pledged to take similar measures. Britain had announced a ban on the import of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in addition to implementing a comprehensive system of sanctions. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband indicated that legislation to ban imports from the settlements, which London considers illegal, will be approved within a period ranging between 6 and 9 months.