Britain Removes Jerusalem Consulate Signs After Israeli Deadline

Workers at the British Consulate in occupied East Jerusalem removed signs and plaques from the building overnight as an Israeli deadline for its closure expired. The move comes amid ongoing deterioration in relations between London and Tel Aviv. Employees were seen taking down a sign reading "British Consulate General" and another indicating the consular section, while the British flag remained hoisted. The consulate has not yet issued an immediate comment. Last month, Israel ordered Britain to close the consulate within 30 days and expel its diplomats from Jerusalem. This action was a response to London's imposition of sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including trade bans on goods produced there. The United Nations and most of the world consider Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories illegal under international law, a stance Israel rejects. Despite British efforts to keep the consulate open, including a visit by the British National Security Advisor to Israel last week for talks, the Israeli government maintained its closure decision. British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem dates back approximately 200 years, predating Israel's establishment in 1948. The closure order does not affect the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, which handles diplomatic relations between the two countries. The consulate, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, managed British relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, in addition to providing consular services. The British Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Wednesday regarding whether the consulate was still operational or if its diplomats had returned to the UK. Sources indicate the closure impacts around 30 British diplomats and their families. In parallel with the deadline's expiry, sources cited by Reuters reported that Britain is considering expelling Israeli diplomats from the Israeli Embassy in London in retaliation for the Jerusalem consulate's closure. Such a reciprocal expulsion would be a rare step between the two nations, which maintain close economic, security, and intelligence ties despite mounting tensions. This latest diplomatic escalation follows a sustained decline in British-Israeli relations over the past three years, during which London has repeatedly criticized Israeli policies during the Gaza war and settler violence in the West Bank. Conversely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government accuses the ruling British Labour Party of adopting an anti-Israel stance.