London Warns of Diplomatic Expulsions as Israel Moves to Close East Jerusalem Consulate

Jerusalem outpost ordered closed following London sanctions on West Bank settlements, prompting reciprocal threats.

The United Kingdom has issued a stark warning that it will expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Israel moves forward with closing the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, according to reports circulating in Israeli media.

The Ynet news outlet reported Monday that Simon Walters, the British Ambassador to Israel, delivered the threat to Israeli officials. Jerusalem issued an order to shut the consulate by October 8, citing it as retribution for London’s decision to impose sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Under the proposed reciprocal measure described in the report, the British government threatened to remove one Israeli diplomat for every one of the 27 British diplomats whose status would be revoked upon the consulate’s closure.

The closure follows Britain’s imposition of sanctions aimed at illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which included a prohibition on importing goods from those areas.

Functioning independently from the British Embassy in Israel, the consulate manages diplomatic relations with Palestinians across East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza, covering both political and consular matters.

Reuters reported Monday that Britain’s National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, visited Israel last week in an unpublicized effort to convince Israeli officials to rescind the closure. The visit yielded no agreement, though diplomatic discussions remain ongoing.

According to Ynet, the British embassy in Israel has not issued a comment regarding the reported threat.

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