The diplomatic relationship between Britain and Israel has suffered a fresh setback after Israel said the British Consulate in east Jerusalem would no longer function as a consulate, with 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, set to leave the country.Britain, however, said the building would remain open and continue to provide services, with a smaller diplomatic team working from the site. The move marks the latest deterioration in ties between the two long-standing allies.
Britain to retain smaller diplomatic presence
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said the consulate would continue operating with a seven-member diplomatic “task force” and a “very limited” scope of activity.“Israel will no longer turn its cheek to diplomatic attacks against it,” Saar said in a statement to news agency Reuters.The sign outside the consulate was removed, but British officials said the building would remain open. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said it would now “be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem” following discussions with the Israeli government.A small team of diplomats will continue working there, Miliband said.“This will ensure that we maintain our longstanding British presence and the U.K.’s role in support of a two-state solution,” he added.Britain had previously threatened to expel Israeli diplomats if Israel closed the consulate. London has now decided against that step for the time being, saying it wants to work with Israel to expand its diplomatic presence again.“We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence,” Miliband said.Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty said British diplomats would continue working on relations with Palestinians and helping British nationals visiting the area.
Dispute follows West Bank trade ban
The latest dispute follows Britain’s decision last month to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move represented a significant hardening of Britain’s position towards Israel. The United Nations and much of the international community consider the settlements illegal.Miliband also rejected Israel’s authority to close the British consulate, saying Britain “does 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.”He reiterated the British position that east Jerusalem “is occupied territory.”Despite the diplomatic dispute, Doughty said the UK continued to have “a strong and ongoing relationship with Israel”.
Ties strained over Gaza and settlements
Britain and Israel continue to cooperate closely on defence and security, but their wider diplomatic relationship has deteriorated over Israel’s conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza and Britain’s decision last year to recognise a Palestinian state.The dispute over the consulate comes against the backdrop of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians claim these territories for a future independent state.Israel has since established scores of settlements in the West Bank, which are now home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers. Many have developed into large residential communities.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, described as Israel’s most nationalist and religious in history, regards the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and considers the settlements important for security.