Britain says consulate in Jerusalem to remain open as a mission

LONDON -- British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Thursday that the Consulate General in East Jerusalem will remain open, after his Israeli counterpart said the mission is ending its operations.

"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," Miliband said in a statement on social media platform X, noting that "East Jerusalem is occupied territory."

The consulate, located in occupied East Jerusalem, handles Britain's relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"Following discussions with the Government of Israel, our Consulate General building will not be closing," Miliband said, adding that it would continue to provide services and be known as the "UK Mission."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Thursday that the British consulate is ending its operations that day.

Relations between Britain and Israel have deteriorated as Israel has stepped up its military campaign against the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 74,200 people killed over the past three years according to Gaza-based health authorities, while settlement expansion has continued in the occupied West Bank.

Britain announced in September an import ban and additional sanctions targeting settlement expansion, citing "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" by "settler terrorists" in parts of the West Bank.

In response, Israel announced a series of countermeasures against Britain, including that it would close the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem and remove British personnel from a US-led Gaza coordination center.

"We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence, and we will not take reciprocal action," Miliband said Thursday.