UK consulate in East Jerusalem loses its signs as 20 British diplomats leave

The signs identifying the British consulate in East Jerusalem have been taken down, with Israel saying the mission has ceased to function as a consulate under an arrangement reached with the United Kingdom. The Times of Israel reported that the plaque reading "British Consulate General" and a second sign for the consular section had already been removed, and that 20 British diplomats, the consul-general among them, will leave Israel while seven stay on in the building, which Britain owns.

The two governments describe the outcome differently. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the consulate had been closed, while the British side said it was being renamed rather than shut. In return for Israel permitting a reduced British team to remain, London dropped a threat to expel Israeli diplomats from the UK, Ynetnews reported.

How the dispute began

The move is Israel's response to measures announced by the British government, led by the Labour Party, including sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the territory where Israel has built communities that much of the international community regards as unlawful. A British statement relayed by the Israeli commentator Amit Segal said the UK remains firmly committed to the sanctions it set out on 8 September. According to Segal, the British are not abandoning plans to advance sanctions, a process he said would take 6-9 months, which is why the consulate was closed in its existing form.

Sa'ar framed the step as a matter of principle, saying Israel would not let measures be directed at it without answering them, and describing Israel's response as "appropriate countermeasures", according to The Times of Israel. Israel Hayom reported that he declared an end to what he called an era of Israeli containment.

What Israel says was agreed

According to Sa'ar's account, as summarised by the Hebrew Telegram channel Abu Ali Express, the arrangement includes four elements:

• The East Jerusalem consulate stops operating as a consulate, and 20 of its 27 British diplomats depart.
• British representatives at a headquarters in Kiryat Gat, an Israeli city, will be removed.
• Twelve British elected officials whom Israel accuses of antisemitic and anti-Israel activity will be refused entry to Israel.
• Britain will stop training personnel of the security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the body that administers parts of the West Bank.

The same summary said the two countries will keep talking and that no further retaliatory steps will be taken against Israel over the departure of the diplomats. The Times of Israel reported that the remaining office will not function as a consulate.

The British account

London presents the change as a renaming. A British statement carried by Amit Segal said that following discussions with the Israeli government, the consulate general would not close but would now be called the British mission. Israel Hayom gave the new name as UK Mission, Jerusalem. Ynet quoted the British side as saying it would continue to provide services there.

The British statement also said the UK would work over the coming months to rebuild its presence, and would not take countermeasures while talks on the matter are conducted in good faith. Ynet reported that the British foreign secretary, named by Ynetnews as Ed Miliband, said the consulate had not closed and that Israel had no legal right to close it because the area is occupied territory. Segal wrote that the British hope a future Israeli government will restore the consulate's former status.

Why the site matters

East Jerusalem is the part of the city whose status is internationally disputed, which is why Britain describes it as occupied while Israel treats the whole city as under its authority. Segal noted that the British consulate there is older than the State of Israel itself, dating back to the 19th century.

On Israeli diplomats, The Times of Israel referred to 27 Israeli diplomats in the UK in connection with the expulsion threat, though the available text of its report is cut off at that point.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not set out which services, if any, the seven remaining British staff will offer, or how the renamed mission differs in legal terms from the former consulate. They do not identify the 12 British officials to be barred, nor explain what the Kiryat Gat headquarters is or how many British representatives work there. No timetable is given for the 20 diplomats' departure beyond the change taking effect now, and the reports do not describe the content or schedule of the talks both sides say will continue. The British statements quoted do not address the entry bans or the PA training element, so it is not clear whether London accepts Sa'ar's description of those terms.