Israel says British consulate in Jerusalem ends its operations, few diplomats can remain

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that the British consulate in East Jerusalem had ended its operations on Israel's orders and that the consul general and 19 diplomats would leave the country, citing "countermeasures" following British measures against Israel.

The consulate is located in East Jerusalem and is Britain's main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians.

In a statement, Sa'ar said the closure, which was first announced in September, took effect on Thursday.

The building, which remains British government property, will no longer function as a consulate, and the remaining diplomats will operate under a restricted mandate, he said.

Sa'ar said it followed a series of British measures against Israel, including sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and restrictions on defense exports.

Following talks between the two governments, Israel agreed to allow seven British diplomats to continue operating from the building, which will no longer function as a consulate, he said.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband disputed Israel's legal authority to close the consulate, saying East Jerusalem was occupied territory. Israel effectively annexed East Jerusalem shortly after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war and considers the entire city its "indivisible capital," a claim not recognized by most of the international community.

"We have been clear that we do not accept that the Government of Israel has the legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has been there for nearly 200 years," Miliband said in a statement.

He said the Consulate General building would remain open as UK Mission, Jerusalem, and continue its work with Palestinians.

Britain said it had temporarily withdrawn some staff and their families for security reasons and intended to rebuild its diplomatic presence in the coming months.

Both sides said they had agreed to continue talks, with Britain pledging not to take reciprocal measures while discussions remained credible.