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Britain keeps Jerusalem consulate open on reduced scale after deadline
Israel’s foreign minister said the old mission ended, with 20 diplomats leaving and seven remaining in a limited role under a deal.
Britain said its nearly 200-year-old consulate in Jerusalem will keep operating at a smaller scale after Israel ordered it shut, with the office renamed as the “UK Mission” in the city. Reuters reports that the arrangement followed a dispute over sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel last month set a 30-day deadline for Britain to close the consulate after London announced the settlement sanctions, a step that strained relations between the long-time allies. Britain said on Thursday the deadline had expired and the mission would continue with reduced operations.
Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said the consulate in East Jerusalem would formally end operations, while some British diplomats would be allowed to continue work in the building under a deal between Israel and Britain. Saar said the consul general and 20 diplomats were concluding their missions and would leave Israel, while seven diplomats would remain with a limited scope of activity.