Israel says the British consulate in East Jerusalem has ceased to function as a consulate, with 20 diplomats including the consul general ending their assignments and leaving Israel. Britain says the building will remain open under a new name — the "UK Mission, Jerusalem" — with a seven-person team continuing to deliver "vital services" and work with the Palestinian people.
The arrangement, announced by both sides on Thursday, follows a 30-day deadline Israel issued last month after London announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on trade in goods produced there. Israel said the closure was retaliation for those sanctions.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the consulate had "ceased to function as a consulate" and that its sign had been removed. He said Israel had authorised "a task force of only seven diplomats" to operate from the building, which he acknowledged remains British government property, "with a very limited scope of activity."
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband framed the outcome differently. "Our Consulate General building will not be closing, and will be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem from today," he said in a statement, adding that the mission is "independent, operational" and would maintain Britain's longstanding presence and its support for a two-state solution.
The two sides remain sharply at odds over the legal basis for the move. Miliband said Britain "does not accept that the Government of Israel has the legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem," and reiterated the UK's long-standing position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it, a move most countries do not recognise.
Saar said the understandings were reached in talks on Wednesday night to prevent a further deterioration in relations. He confirmed that measures announced on 8 September had been implemented: British representatives were removed from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, British training of Palestinian Authority forces was ended, and 12 British elected officials and other citizens were denied entry to Israel.
Britain, in turn, agreed not to take reciprocal action — such as expelling Israeli diplomats from London — while discussions are underway and credible, Miliband said. Israeli media had reported that the UK was prepared to consider such expulsions if the mission were closed.
Miliband also said the UK had "temporarily withdrawn a number of staff and families to ensure their safety and security," because without an understanding Britain would not have had "the necessary assurances for the security and protections of our staff and premises." He said the UK would work in the coming months to build back up its presence.
The consulate, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, was founded in 1838 or 1839 — nearly 200 years ago, long before the State of Israel was established in 1948. It has handled Britain's relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and provided consular services to Palestinians.
The closure order does not affect Britain's embassy in Tel Aviv, which remains the UK's main diplomatic hub for relations with the Israeli government.
What is confirmed: The consulate has lost its consular status and its signage has been removed; 20 diplomats including the consul general are leaving Israel; seven diplomats remain in the building as the "UK Mission, Jerusalem" with a very limited remit; Israel's 8 September retaliatory measures have been implemented.
What remains unclear: How far the remaining team's "very limited scope of activity" will extend in practice, and what the mission's status will look like once the two governments conclude the talks they have agreed to continue.
What is awaited: Further detail from both governments on the mission's operating terms, and any indication of whether either side will take further measures as the dialogue continues.