Britain Removes Signs at East Jerusalem Consulate as Israel’s Shutdown Deadline Passes

By Alexander Cornwell and Ammar Awad

JERUSALEM, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Overnight, workers took down signs and plaques at the British consulate in East Jerusalem after Israel’s deadline for closure passed, following London’s announcement of sanctions on West Bank settlements. The move deepens friction between the two allies.

Reuters observed consulate staff removing a plaque that read “British Consulate General” and another sign for the consular section. The Union Jack remained hoisted over the building, and the consulate offered no immediate comment.

Earlier last month, Israel instructed Britain to shut the consulate within 30 days and withdraw its diplomats from the city, after Britain unveiled sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on trade in goods produced there.

While the United Nations and the majority of nations regard the settlements as unlawful under international law, Israel rejects that characterization.

Israel has insisted the consulate must close, even as Britain tried to keep it open—most recently by sending its senior national security adviser to Israel for talks.

British diplomatic representation in Jerusalem stretches back nearly two centuries, predating the founding of Israel in 1948. The closure directive leaves the British embassy in Tel Aviv untouched, which continues to manage relations with Israel’s government.

Located in the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, the consulate oversees Britain’s engagement with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and also provides consular assistance to Palestinian residents.

On Wednesday, Britain’s Foreign Office declined to say whether the consulate remained operational or if any British diplomats had returned to the United Kingdom.

Sources indicate that the shutdown order affects roughly 30 British diplomats and their accompanying family members.

Britain is reportedly weighing the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from Israel’s embassy in London as a retaliatory measure should the consulate close, according to Reuters quoting informed sources.

Such a reciprocal expulsion would be unprecedented for the two allies. Despite the present tensions, the United Kingdom and Israel remain close partners in trade, security and intelligence.

The British sanctions and Israel’s closure order together signal a new low in a relationship that has worsened over the past three years. Britain has repeatedly criticized Israel over its conduct in the Gaza war and over settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration has accused the UK’s governing Labour Party of harbouring hostility toward Israel.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Ammar Awad; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Daniel Wallis)

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