UK Threatens to Expel Israeli Diplomats Over Planned Closure of Consulate in East Jerusalem, Israel

The United Kingdom has threatened to expel Israeli diplomats if Israel closes the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. According to The Jerusalem Post, senior British officials made clear to Israel that Britain would expel 27 Israeli diplomats, along with their families, if the consulate is closed. The Post said two sources told it about the warning on Monday. The Guardian reported that the UK would expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat forced to leave Israel, which could mean up to 27 Israeli diplomats expelled from the UK.

The consulate is expected to close on October 8, following an order issued by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Guardian gave the closure date as Thursday. The two reports do not state how the dates relate to each other.

Before the closure order, Britain’s National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, quietly visited Israel last week in an effort to prevent the closure, according to three sources who spoke to Reuters. The Jerusalem Post reported that he failed to reach an agreement.

The reports differ on the reasons behind the dispute. The Jerusalem Post reported that Britain cited Israeli government-backed plans to expand settlements and rising extremist settler attacks targeting Palestinians in the West Bank. It also reported that the British sanctions are to take effect next year. The Guardian reported that the closure follows the UK’s ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and its sanctions on British firms involved in settlement construction. The Guardian also reported that Israel’s foreign ministry stated the closure is a direct response to those UK sanctions and trade restrictions.

The consulate, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, handles relations with Palestinians in the city, the West Bank and Gaza, and provides consular services to Palestinians, according to the Jerusalem Post. Such services are the kind of help that protecting the vulnerable depends on (Psalm 82:3).

Sa’ar said Britain’s decision to impose sanctions was “morally distorted,” according to both reports. The Jerusalem Post reported that he also accused Britain’s Labour Party of being hostile toward Israel and of interfering in Israel’s general election on October 27. The Guardian reported that Sa’ar accused the Labour Party of hostility toward Israel.

Former UK attorney general Dominic Grieve informally advised the Foreign Office that Israel may be acting unlawfully by closing the consulate, the Guardian reported. An Israeli diplomatic source told the Guardian that the UK’s threats are speculative and said any further steps against Israel would be met with an response, though the report’s wording was incomplete at that point.