UK Reduces Staff at Jerusalem Consulate Amid Israel Dispute

Britain has announced that its diplomatic mission in East Jerusalem will remain open but with reduced staff, following Israel's order to close the nearly 200-year-old consulate. The decision comes after an agreement between the two countries regarding the future of the mission. Israel stated that the consulate had ceased operating in its previous capacity, while Britain maintained that the building would continue to function under the name UK Mission, Jerusalem. This development follows a diplomatic dispute over British measures aimed at Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed that 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, would be leaving Israel, while seven diplomats would remain, albeit with limited activities. The consulate's diplomatic emblem and sign were removed from the building on Thursday. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that London had temporarily withdrawn some staff and their families for safety reasons, emphasizing that the mission would remain independent and operational, providing essential services and working with Palestinians. Miliband reiterated that Britain does not recognize Israel's legal right to close the consulate, which was established in 1838. Israel ordered the closure on September 8 in response to British measures against settlements in the occupied West Bank, which Britain, along with other countries, announced as trade restrictions and sanctions targeting settlements and individuals linked to settler violence against Palestinians. Israel condemned these measures as a diplomatic attack. The British consulate has traditionally managed relations with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, separate from Britain's embassy in Tel Aviv. Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and subsequently annexed it, a move that most countries, including Britain, do not recognize. Miliband stated that Britain would refrain from retaliatory diplomatic actions while discussions with Israel are ongoing and reaffirmed London's support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.