Israel drastically reduces British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem
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Weather News October 8, 2026 e-Paper
Published – October 08, 2026 10:39 pm IST – JERUSALEM
Israel said the British consulate in east Jerusalem ended its functions on Thursday (October 8, 2026) but seven diplomats would be allowed to remain in a limited capacity, with the U.K. saying the outpost would continue to offer "vital services".
The move comes after Israel ordered the closure of the consulate in September as retaliation after London-led Western sanctions over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday's (October 8, 2026) move to downsize the U.K. presence had followed a dialogue with the British government in order to avoid an escalation of tensions between the two countries.
"As I announced, the British consulate in Jerusalem ended its role today," Mr. Saar said in a statement, adding that 20 diplomats including the consul general were ending their missions and leaving the country.
Mr. Saar said the building was the property of the British government and that a "task force of only seven diplomats" would be allowed to operate from the premises, "which ceased to function as a consulate today".
"Their scope of activity will be very limited," Mr. Saar said, adding the two countries had "agreed on the continuation of dialogue between the governments".
The U.K. pledged to continue delivering "vital services" in Jerusalem, saying the consulate general building would remain open and would "be known as the U.K. Mission, Jerusalem".
"The U.K. Mission, Jerusalem is independent, operational and will continue to deliver vital services and our work with the Palestinian people," Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said in a statement.
Mr. Miliband said the U.K. did not accept that the Israeli government had "the legal right" to enforce the closure.
"We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence and we will not take reciprocal action while such discussions are underway and credible," he added.
The Palestinian Authority's foreign affairs ministry denounced the move as "illegal" and said in a statement that it viewed it as "an attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied city" of Jerusalem.
The British consulate was founded nearly 200 years ago, and lies in east Jerusalem, part of the historically Palestinian area that Israel captured in 1967.
Israel later annexed east Jerusalem and considers the holy city its undivided capital.
While Israel controls east Jerusalem, most countries including Britain do not recognise its sovereignty over the whole city.
Also Read | Britain bans trade with illegal Israeli settlements
The British consulate handles "political, commercial, security and economic interests between the U.K. and Palestine", according to its website, as well as consular services for British nationals in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
An AFP photographer on Thursday (October 8, 2026) saw that the diplomatic emblem and a plaque that adorned the consulate's facade had been removed.
The measure has led Britain to lose a "historic and meaningful presence" in terms of their support for the Palestinians, an Israeli diplomatic source said.
"So yes, they keep the building" and a limited number of diplomats, the source told AFP, but "they have lost a historic and significant footprint".
The source said they thought the recent dialogue between the British and Israeli governments would allow a "turning point" in deteriorating relations.
"If until a few weeks ago, until September 8, we were on a path of spiralling down, then I think the page has turned," the source said.
"Dialogue is a path towards returning to… more constructive relations."
September 8 was the day Mr. Saar ordered the consulate to close.
Also Read | Trade curbs on Israeli settlements in West Bank unlikely to have much bite
He also said Israel would expel British representatives at a centre monitoring the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan in Gaza, bar British training for Palestinian Authority forces and ban 12 Britons, mostly members of parliament, from visiting.
Mr. Saar on Thursday (October 8, 2026) said those measures had been implemented.
The retaliation came after 12 countries including Britain, Canada and France announced they would sanction trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, following a surge in settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied territory.
Published – October 08, 2026 10:39 pm IST
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Fonte: The Hindu – International
