UK Threatens Israeli Diplomat Expulsion Over Jerusalem Consulate Closure

Britain has threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats from its embassy in London if Israel proceeds with its decision to close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. The threat comes as British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell reportedly visited Israel secretly last week to try and dissuade Israeli officials from the closure, but no agreement was reached. The deadline for the closure is next Thursday.

According to sources cited by Reuters, Powell held talks with Israeli officials in an attempt to keep the consulate open, but these efforts did not yield a deal. While ongoing communications suggest a settlement remains possible, it is unlikely to be finalized before the Thursday deadline. The British Embassy in London declined to comment, and the British government has not yet issued a statement regarding Powell's visit or the ongoing discussions.

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that London, through its ambassador Simon Walter, informed Israeli officials that it would expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Israel did not reverse its decision. This number mirrors the Israeli diplomats Britain plans to terminate in East Jerusalem. Such a move, the Israeli report suggests, would significantly disrupt the operations of the Israeli Embassy in London, which has a staff slightly larger than 27. The embassy has been without a permanent ambassador since Tzipi Hotovely returned to Israel in September 2025 and is currently managed by Chargé d'affaires Chris Cantor.

A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that the consulate would indeed close on Thursday, as per the previously announced decision. Israel had given Britain a 30-day ultimatum on September 8 to close its consulate in East Jerusalem and withdraw its diplomats, in response to London's announcement of a ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and sanctions related to settlement activities. The deadline expires next Thursday, and reports indicate that local staff at the consulate have already been dismissed, with British diplomats preparing to depart.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Israeli decision surprised the British side, particularly due to the short 30-day notice given to diplomats, comparing it to a four-month notice Russia gave Britain to close its consulate in St. Petersburg. London had refrained from publicly stating its response, apparently hoping to persuade Israel to back down through behind-the-scenes negotiations before issuing its threat of expelling Israeli diplomats.

Sa'ar had also announced additional measures against Britain, including the removal of British representatives from a coordination center in Kiryat Gat concerning Gaza, halting British activity in training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank, and barring entry to 12 British elected officials and citizens accused by Israel of antisemitism, anti-Israel sentiment, or denying Israel's right to exist. The British Consulate in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, manages Britain's relations with Palestinians in the city, the West Bank, and Gaza, and provides consular services to them.

The Israeli decision was a direct response to British measures targeting Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including import bans on settlement products and sanctions on individuals and entities aiding settlement expansion, set to take effect next year. Britain justified its actions by stating that the Israeli government's policies in the West Bank, including settlement expansion plans and escalating settler violence against Palestinians, undermine the possibility of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a two-state solution that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government publicly rejects.

France and Canada have also joined sanctions against settlements, but Israel has not taken similar retaliatory steps against them. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had previously described the West Bank as undergoing "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians" by "settler terrorists" when announcing the measures. Sa'ar called the British decision "morally distorted" and accused the Labour government of hostility towards Israel and interference in the upcoming Israeli elections on October 27. Sa'ar also claimed the settlement product ban would harm Palestinian workers in the settlements, while President Isaac Herzog accused Britain of election interference.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid blamed the Netanyahu government for what he called "unprecedented diplomatic isolation," stating that while the British decision was wrong, it also reflected the Israeli government's failure to prevent the deterioration of relations with its allies. This crisis unfolds amid heightened tensions between London and Tel Aviv over the ongoing war in Gaza, settlement policies, and settler violence in the West Bank. Miliband had defended the trade ban with settlements at a Labour Party conference, strongly criticizing Israeli government policy and speaking of "war crimes" in Gaza, stating that "millions" of Britons were shocked by events in the Strip and that the government was "listening to them." The Green Party conference also passed a resolution on Sunday describing Zionism as a "racist ideology" and calling for a single Palestinian state instead of Israel, a development noted by Israeli media in the context of political shifts in Britain concerning Israel and the Palestinian issue.