Israel and UK Resolve Diplomatic Dispute Over Jerusalem Consulate

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Thursday, October 8, that the UK would be allowed to use its consulate building in East Jerusalem for a limited working group, a move that averted the threatened expulsion of Israeli diplomats from London. The British consulate, which had been slated for closure that day with its 27 staff members, ceased to operate as a consulate. Saar stated that the building, owned by the British government, would now house a seven-diplomat working group operating under strict limitations. He added that dialogue would continue to allow both sides to raise important issues. Saar explained that the decision to close the consulate was a reciprocal measure against British sanctions targeting Jewish settlements, which he characterized as part of a hostile stance including accusations of "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" against Israel. He confirmed that other retaliatory measures, such as removing British representatives from a Kiryat Gat staff, halting UK training of Palestinian Authority forces in Ramallah, and barring 12 British officials involved in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activities from entering Israel, remain in effect. This follows a similar entry ban on October 4 for Zak Polanski, leader of the British Green Party, which has labeled Zionism a form of racism. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband countered Saar's statement, asserting that the consulate has not closed but has been renamed the "British Mission, Jerusalem." Miliband stated on X that the UK does not recognize Israel's right to close the nearly 200-year-old consulate and that the mission will continue its work and provide essential services to Palestinians. The British consulate in East Jerusalem, established in 1838, primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.