Britain's Jerusalem Consulate to Close Under Israeli Deal
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Israel and Britain have agreed to close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. The building will house only seven diplomats with limited operations, and 20 British diplomats will be expelled. This agreement follows a visit by British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, who attempted to prevent the closure but failed to reach a consensus.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel and Britain agreed to close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem.
- Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the agreement on Thursday.
- The building will house only seven diplomats with limited operational scope.
- Twenty British diplomats will be expelled as part of the agreement.
- British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell previously attempted to prevent the closure.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that Israel and Britain have reached an understanding that will lead to the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. According to Sa'ar, the building, owned by the British government, will no longer function as a consulate and will house only seven diplomats with "very limited operational scope."
A diplomatic source stated that the negotiations between Israel and the UK resulted in no Israeli diplomats being expelled. However, 20 British diplomats will be expelled, while the remaining staff will continue as a British representation but not as a consulate, and will be unable to issue visas.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Britain's National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell, visited Israel last week in an attempt to prevent the consulate's closure. The report indicated that the parties were unable to reach an agreement on the matter.
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