Nearly 200-year-old consulate in occupied East Jerusalem downgraded to limited ‘UK Mission’ as tensions rise over West Bank settlement measures.
Israel has ordered 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, to leave Jerusalem as part of a retaliatory response to UK sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, both sides announced on Thursday.
Under a last-minute agreement between the two governments, the British Consulate General in occupied East Jerusalem-which has operated since 1839-will cease functioning in its previous capacity. The building, owned by the UK, will continue operating on a reduced scale under the new name “UK Mission, Jerusalem,” with a skeleton staff of seven diplomats remaining in a limited role.
Israel Orders UK Consulate Staff to Leave Jerusalem:
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the consulate’s operations had formally ended and that its signage had been removed. “The consul general and 20 diplomats are ending their duties and will leave Israel,” Sa’ar stated, adding that the remaining task force would have a “very limited scope of activity.”
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband responded that the building would not close and would continue to “deliver vital services and our work with the Palestinian people.” He described the withdrawal of some staff as temporary and said Britain aimed to rebuild its presence in the coming months. Miliband stressed that the UK does not accept Israel’s legal right to close the consulate, which it regards as operating in occupied territory.
The measures follow a 30-day deadline Israel issued in September after London announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on trade in goods produced there. The UK has described the settlements as illegal under international law. Sa’ar framed the action as part of a broader principle that “it is not possible to act against Israel without Israel taking appropriate measures in response.”
Israel-UK Diplomatic Tensions Escalate Over Palestine:
Israel also implemented other countermeasures announced earlier, including the removal of British representatives from a Gaza-related coordination centre, the termination of British training programmes for Palestinian Authority security forces, and entry bans on 12 British elected officials and others accused by Israel of anti-Israel activity.
The consulate in East Jerusalem has long served as Britain’s primary diplomatic channel for engagement with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, distinct from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv that handles relations with Israel. Its downgrading marks a significant strain in relations between the two longstanding allies under Britain’s current Labour government.
Both sides indicated that the compromise averted a wider diplomatic crisis, with Britain holding off on potential reciprocal measures, such as the expulsion of Israeli diplomats. Talks are expected to continue in an effort to manage the fallout. The dispute underscores deepening tensions over Israel’s policies in the occupied Palestinian territories and the international response to them.