Shafaq News- Jerusalem
Israel has ordered the United Kingdom to close its consulate in East Jerusalem within 30 days in response to British sanctions targeting Israeli settlements, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials and sources familiar with the matter.
The consulate handles UK government affairs related to Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, maintaining a diplomatic presence in the city dating to 1839. Its staff will lose diplomatic status once the deadline expires.
UK personnel assigned to the US-led Gaza coordination mission in Israel, along with British diplomats based in Ramallah, have also been given seven days to leave, according to Reuters.
The UK joined France and Canada on Tuesday in imposing sanctions over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. London barred imports of goods produced there, and targeted companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure, financing, and real estate services. France and Canada introduced similar import restrictions, while nine other countries, including Denmark and Portugal, backed the British action.
Speaking to the BBC, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expressed regret over the consulate closure, but said the decision was expected. A day before the Israeli order, he accused Israel of having “turned a blind eye” to settler violence against Palestinians.
Further restrictions include barring the UK from training Palestinian security forces in the West Bank and prohibiting 12 British lawmakers and other nationals from entering Israel, among them former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Reuters said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday condemned London’s actions as “morally distorted” and accused the UK of interfering in Israeli domestic affairs ahead of next month’s election. Reuters noted that Israel is considering additional steps against countries that imposed or supported the sanctions.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 160 settlements across the two territories alongside about 3.3 million Palestinians. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 2,256 incidents across the West Bank in July, including 1,458 attributed to the Israeli military and 798 to settlers. At least 1,183 Palestinians, including 210 children, have been killed in the territory since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.