Britain downscales and renames Jerusalem consulate after Israel orders closure
Now operating as the ‘UK Mission’, London says it will continue ‘vital services’ following a row over West Bank settlements
Britain said on Thursday its nearly 200-year-old consulate in Jerusalem would remain operating at a smaller scale, renamed as the “UK Mission” in the city, after Israel ordered it shut in a dispute over sanctions on settlements.
Israel last month issued a 30-day deadline for Britain to close the consulate after London announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a dispute that has strained relations between the long-time allies. The deadline expired on Thursday.
Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said in a statement that the consulate, in East Jerusalem, would formally end operations but that some British diplomats would be allowed to continue work in the building under a deal struck between Israel and Britain.
“The British consulate in Jerusalem ended its functions today. The consul general and 20 diplomats... are concluding their missions and will leave Israel,” Saar said in a statement, adding that “seven diplomats, with a very limited scope of activity” would remain.
