UK Foreign Minister Ed Miliband says consulate building in occupied East Jerusalem would not be closing as Israeli deadline expires.
Published On 8 Oct 20268 Oct 2026
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Updated: 23 minutes agoUpdated: 23 minutes ago
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband says the United Kingdom consulate building in occupied East Jerusalem would not be closing but would be known as a UK mission.
Israel had ordered the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem to close on Thursday over the UK’s plans to impose sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday Israel had authorised the UK to continue to operate from the building in a limited scope with seven diplomats.
He said 20 diplomats, including the British consul general, were ending their assignments and would leave Israel.
Earlier, journalists from the Reuters news agency saw workers remove a plaque reading “British Consulate General” from the building on Thursday, as well as another sign for its consular section. The UK flag was still flying over the building.
Miliband said that having withdrawn a number of staff and families in recent weeks, the UK would now work to build up its presence.
He said the UK would not take any reciprocal action against Israel while the two sides engage in talks, following speculation that the UK could expel a number of Israeli diplomats from it.
Strained ties
Thursday marks 30 days since Israel ordered the closure of the consulate. The move was in response to the UK’s wave of sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements, including a ban on importing goods produced there.
“We have established a clear principle – no action can be taken against Israel without Israel taking appropriate retaliatory measures,” Saar wrote in a post on X.
He said the measures were implemented “in this spirit” following his September 8 announcement.
The United Nations and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law. Israel disputes this.
The UK had threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Israel proceeded to close the consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, according to unverified Israeli media reports.
Israel has been adamant the consulate will close even as the UK has sought to keep it open, including sending the country’s top national security adviser to Israel last week for talks.
The UK’s presence in the city dates back almost 200 years, long before the state of Israel was established in 1948. The closure order does not affect the UK’s embassy in Tel Aviv, which handles diplomatic relations with Israel’s government.
The consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, handles the UK’s relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. It also provides consular services to Palestinians.
Despite the current strains, the UK and Israel are close economic, security and intelligence partners.