Israel Orders UK to Close East Jerusalem Consulate Over Settlement Sanctions

Retaliatory Diplomatic Measures and Timeline

According to two Israeli officials and two sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters, Israel informed the UK of the strict timeline on Wednesday, September 9. British diplomats working at the consulate, which dates back to 1839, will also lose their diplomatic status at the end of the 30-day period. Additionally, UK officials assigned to a US-led Gaza coordination mission and British diplomats based in Ramallah must leave within seven days, according to the sources.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed additional punitive steps, stating that Britain would be dropped from the Gaza mission and barred from training Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Furthermore, Israel banned several UK MPs—including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn—from entering the country.

UK Sanctions on West Bank Settlements

The diplomatic escalation follows actions announced on Tuesday by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. Alongside the UK, France and Canada announced bans on importing goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Miliband told UK lawmakers that the British government would also target companies and individuals providing services to settlements, including construction, infrastructure, financing, and real estate.

Speaking to BBC TV on Wednesday, Miliband said he regretted Israel’s decision to shutter the consulate, but noted the move was not entirely unexpected. “We weighed the costs and benefits of acting… and we thought we simply could not stand by because we feared Israeli action,” Miliband stated. He added on Tuesday that Israel had “turned a blind eye” to settler violence against Palestinians.

International Response and Electoral Context

Foreign Minister Saar strongly condemned the British measures on X, calling the policy “morally distorted” and accusing the UK of “blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process” ahead of Israeli elections the following month. Saar also acknowledged criticism of the sanctions from UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who wrote in the Sun that the Labour government was prioritizing party-political interests over national interests.

While the United States maintained a muted response, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating Washington opposed “anything destabilising” in the West Bank without directly commenting on the UK sanctions, other nations aligned. Nine other countries, including Denmark and Portugal, endorsed the British action. Meanwhile, the UK’s chief rabbi condemned the sanctions as a “truly dark day,” whereas the British Jewish group Yachad stated that the policy was “not anti-Israel” and accused Israel’s government of crossing international red lines.