FOCUS – Israel declares the end of the British consulate’s activity in Jerusalem

LONDON, Oct 8 /ATSH-DPA/ – Israel said today that the British consulate in East Jerusalem has ceased to operate, in retaliation for the United Kingdom’s decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal.

However, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband insisted that the building will not close.

He said it will be called the “Mission of the United Kingdom” and that some staff will be withdrawn to guarantee their safety.

Last month, Israel threatened to close the consulate, which represents the United Kingdom in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, within 30 days of the UK’s announcement of the sanctions. The decision caused a diplomatic clash between the two countries.

As the deadline expired today, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the British consulate in Jerusalem had ended its activity today. The sign identifying the building as a consulate was removed.

Sa’ar wrote on the social network X that the consul general and 19 British diplomats would end their duties and leave Israel.

He acknowledged that the building belongs to the British government, but stressed that Israel had allowed only a group of seven diplomats to work there.

According to him, the building will no longer function as a consulate and the rest of the staff will have very limited competences.

Sa’ar also claimed that in recent years there had been no real dialogue with British ministers, despite cooperation between the two countries in the field of security and intelligence.

“We did not want to get to this point, but the actions of the British Labour government brought us here,” Sa’ar said.

United Kingdom: The consulate has not closed

But the British Foreign Office insisted that the “British Mission” has not lost its diplomatic status and that the main change is the name, while part of the staff has left.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the United Kingdom does not accept that the Israeli government has the legal right to close the British consulate in Jerusalem, which has existed for almost 200 years.

He reiterated the British government’s long-standing position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.

According to him, after talks with the Israeli government, the consulate building will not close, but from today it will be called the “Mission of the United Kingdom, Jerusalem”.

Miliband said the mission will continue to function and to provide important services, as well as to work with the Palestinian people.

He added that the United Kingdom will continue to support the two-state solution, the creation of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

However, because of concerns for the safety of the staff, the United Kingdom has temporarily withdrawn some employees and their families.

Miliband said the United Kingdom aims to increase its diplomatic presence again in the coming months and that it will not take a similar measure against Israel while the talks continue.