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Britain Removes Consulate Signs in East Jerusalem as Israeli Shutdown Order Expires
Confirmed
In Short: The consulate's closure is a result of Britain's plans to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including a trade ban on goods made there.
Workers removed signs and plaques from the British consulate in East Jerusalem overnight, following Israel's deadline to shut the facility down. The consulate, established in 1838, provides consular services to Palestinians and manages Britain's relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Sources say the closure order affects around 30 British diplomats and their family members. The consulate's main entrance plaque reading 'British Consulate General' and another sign for its consular section were seen being removed by Reuters journalists.
The consulate's presence in East Jerusalem dates back almost 200 years, long before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The deadline for the closure was set for Thursday, but the signs were removed as the order expired.
The consulate's closure is a result of Britain's plans to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including a trade ban on goods made there. Israel had ordered Britain to close the consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from the city.
The British embassy in Tel Aviv, which handles diplomatic relations with Israel's government, is not affected by the closure order. There was no immediate comment from the consulate regarding the removal of the signs.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons that a 'new approach' was necessary because plans for the E1 development in the West Bank would render a two-state solution 'unviable' by 'cutting through the heart of Palestine'.
The British flag was still flying over the building as dawn broke over Jerusalem, indicating that the consulate's operations may continue despite the removal of signage.
The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, that Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem and impose a series of countermeasures in response to the U.K. sanctions.
Miliband described himself as a 'proud British Jew' with 'the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel,' recalling how his grandmother found refuge there after losing her husband and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis.
The sanctions regime will target illegal settlement and settlement expansion. Not Israel, Miliband said, adding that Britain would continue to support trade with Israel inside the Green Line and that he 'wholeheartedly' opposed the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The move is part of a coordinated push with France, Canada, and other European partners amid what the governments described Tuesday as 'unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion' in the West Bank, including Israel’s E1 project, which they argue threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
What this adds
The escalation has become a political issue inside Britain, with tensions rising between the two allies over the handling of the situation.
Background
East Jerusalem is the portion of Jerusalem east of the Green Line. It was established formally by the armistice agreements at the end of the 1948 Palestine war.
What's confirmed
- JERUSALEM: Workers removed signs and plaques at the British consulate in East Jerusalem overnight after Israel ordered it shut by Thursday over London's plans to impose sanctions on settlements in the West Bank, further damaging strained ties between allies.
- Reuters journalists saw workers in the consulate remove a plaque reading "British Consulate General" and another sign for its consular section.
- Israel has been adamant the consulate will close even as Britain sought to keep it open, including sending the country's top national security adviser to Israel last week for talks.
- Israel last month ordered Britain to close the consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from the city, after Britain announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a trade ban on goods made there.
What's still developing
- "the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust."
- At the same time, the foreign ministers recognized Israel’s "legitimate security interests" and reiterated their condemnation of Hamas ’ Oct.
- They said their objective remained a two-state solution allowing Israel and "a sovereign, democratic and viable Palestinian state" to live side by side in peace and security.
- "Holding British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism, plain and simple."
- U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to Fox News Digital during an interview at the American embassy in Jerusalem. (Yoav Dudkevitch/ TPS-IL for Fox News) "I think without a doubt there will be," Huckabee said when asked whether the U.K. should expect consequences.
- The escalation came hours after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that Britain would ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements, target companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and refuse licenses for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation.
- He also said Britain was reimposing major economic sanctions on Iran and would continue security cooperation with Israel against shared threats.
- "Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region."
- "Today, I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful," Miliband told lawmakers Tuesday.
- The timing has also become a political issue inside Britain.
- The Israeli measures also include removing British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, ending British activities training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank and denying entry to 12 British elected officials and other British nationals whom Israel accused of antisemitic or anti-Israel activity.