Israel Closes British Consulate In East Jerusalem, Expels UK Officials Over Settlement Sanctions
Israel Closes British Consulate In East Jerusalem, Expels UK Officials Over Settlement Sanctions
Saar said the British Consulate in Jerusalem, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, would be closed as part of the countermeasures.
Israel has announced a series of retaliatory measures against the United Kingdom, including the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, following London’s decision to impose sanctions on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced the measures on Tuesday while addressing journalists, accusing the British government of taking a series of unilateral actions against Israel.
Saar said the British Consulate in Jerusalem, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, would be closed as part of the countermeasures.
He also announced that British representatives would be expelled from the international aid coordination centre for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, while Britain’s involvement in training Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank would be terminated.
According to Saar, Israel would further bar 12 elected British officials and other British citizens whom the Israeli government accused of engaging in anti-Israel and antisemitic activities from entering the country.
“Tonight, I announced our countermeasures to the new series of sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary of the Labour government in the British Parliament, following two years of unilateral moves against Israel,” Saar said.
“The British Consulate in Jerusalem will be closed.
“British representatives will be expelled from the international aid center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat.
“British activity in training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank will be halted.
“Entry into the country of 12 elected officials and British citizens involved in anti-Israel and antisemitic activities will be denied.”
Saar warned other governments against taking measures against Israel, saying such actions would trigger Israeli retaliation.
“The message to any government that harms us is clear: Whoever acts against Israel – Israel will act against him, and he will lose his influence and relevance in the region,” he said.
“Moves against Israel will not go unanswered.”
The Israeli announcement came shortly after the United Kingdom unveiled a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking one of London’s strongest measures against Israel’s settlement policy.
Addressing Parliament, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Palestine and reaffirmed the British government’s position that Israeli settlements expanding across the occupied West Bank are unlawful.
Miliband said Britain should not support the occupation by allowing products made in settlements to be sold in British shops.
“I do not believe the British people want us supporting the occupation by accepting products from settlements in our shops,” he said.
The British government also announced tougher restrictions on arms sales to Israel as pressure mounts over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its policies in the occupied West Bank.
The latest measures come amid an intensifying wave of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, including attacks described by Palestinian officials and rights groups as pogroms.
They also follow controversial Israeli settlement expansions in the occupied territory, which have fuelled growing calls in Europe for tougher economic and diplomatic measures against Israel.
The UK’s announcement has further widened the diplomatic rift between London and Tel Aviv, with Israel now responding by targeting British diplomatic and security cooperation in the region.
Following Miliband’s parliamentary statement, 12 countries issued a joint statement expressing support for a two-state solution and announcing intentions to introduce their own restrictions on trade involving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
