LONDON — The United Kingdom has issued a stark ultimatum to the Israeli regime: reverse the forced closure of the British Consulate General in occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) or face the expulsion of 27 Israeli diplomats from London, along with their families.
According to Israeli media outlet Ynet, British Ambassador Simon Walters personally delivered the warning to Israeli officials on Monday. London’s position is clear — one Israeli diplomat will be removed for every British staff member whose diplomatic status is revoked should the consulate shut its doors.
The UK Foreign Office neither confirmed nor denied the report.
Retaliation for Settlement Goods Ban
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has ordered the consulate — located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood — to close by Thursday, October 8, and has revoked the credentials of its staff. The mission operates independently from the British embassy in Tel Aviv and handles political and consular affairs for Palestinians across East al-Quds, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
The closure order is widely seen as retaliation for Britain’s decision last month to ban imports of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the measures alongside parallel steps taken by France and Canada, citing the regime’s ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The ban followed Israeli approval of more than 1,000 new settler housing units on occupied land — all of which are considered illegal under international law.
Sa’ar Lashes Out
Sa’ar condemned the British move as “morally distorted,” accusing the Labour government of hostility and interference ahead of Israel’s upcoming election later this month. His retaliatory measures also include expelling British representatives from a Gaza coordination center, ending British training programs for Palestinian Authority security forces, and barring entry to 12 British figures, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Last-Ditch Talks Fail
Britain’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell traveled to the occupied territories last week in an unannounced bid to keep the consulate open, sources told Reuters. However, the talks yielded no agreement. A spokesperson for Sa’ar confirmed the mission would close on Thursday as planned.
Legal and Humanitarian Concerns
Former British Attorney General Dominic Grieve has advised the Foreign Office that Israel has no legal basis to shut the consulate. East al-Quds is recognized by the United Nations — and by Britain — as occupied Palestinian territory. Grieve stressed that maintaining the mission does not imply recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the city, whose final status remains subject to international negotiation.
Grieve further warned that the closure would disproportionately harm Palestinians by disrupting consular services, aid oversight, and reporting from the West Bank and Gaza.
A Deepening Rift
An expulsion of this magnitude would severely cripple the Israeli embassy in London, which has already been operating without an ambassador for more than a year. The confrontation marks yet another sharp deterioration in relations already strained by the regime’s relentless settlement expansion and its devastating war on Gaza.
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Reference: ABNA24