UK Official Secretly Visited Israel to Prevent Consulate Closure

Britain's National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell, made a secret visit to Israel last week in an attempt to prevent the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. The talks, however, concluded without an agreement, and Israeli officials reiterated that the consulate would be shut down on Thursday as scheduled. Powell's visit was not publicly announced by the British government.

According to a Reuters report, Powell met with senior Israeli officials to find a resolution that would allow the consulate to continue its operations. Despite these efforts, the negotiations ended without a deal.

Israel had previously ordered Britain on September 8 to close the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and remove British diplomats from the city. This directive followed London's announcement of sanctions against products from settlements in the West Bank.

The deadline for the consulate's closure is this Thursday. While sources told Reuters that contacts between the two sides are ongoing and an agreement to avert the closure is still possible, they deemed it unlikely to be reached by the set date.