UK threatens to expel 27 Israeli diplomats over East Jerusalem consulate closure

The United Kingdom has warned the Israeli regime that it will expel 27 of its diplomats from London, together with their families, unless Tel Aviv reverses an order to shut the British Consulate General in occupied East Jerusalem, according to En.abna24.

British Ambassador Simon Walters delivered the expulsion warning to Israeli officials, according to coverage by وكالة صدى نيوز. London is prepared to remove one Israeli diplomat for each of the 27 British staff whose diplomatic status would be terminated by the closure. The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the report but did not deny it, while Israeli officials also withheld public confirmation of the reported ultimatum, as noted by worldisraelnews.com.

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The closure order was issued by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The mission, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, operates separately from the British embassy in Tel Aviv and handles political and consular affairs for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Sa’ar ordered the consulate shut and revoked the credentials of its staff in retaliation for Britain’s ban on imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced the measures alongside similar steps by France and Canada. The ban followed Israeli plans to build more than a thousand new settler homes on occupied land, which are illegal under international law. Sa’ar called the British decision morally distorted and accused the Labour government of hostility and interference ahead of national elections.

In addition to ordering the consulate closed, Sa’ar’s countermeasures expelled British representatives from a Gaza coordination center in Kiryat Gat, ended British training of Palestinian Authority security forces, and barred entry to 12 British figures, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Similar diplomatic friction has affected other European nations, with Israel revoking credentials from Dutch diplomats following the Netherlands' settlement import ban.

Former British attorney general Dominic Grieve advised the Foreign Office that the Israeli government has no legal right to close the consulate. East Jerusalem is recognized by the United Nations and by Britain as occupied Palestinian territory. Retaining the mission does not concede Israeli sovereignty over the city, whose final status remains subject to negotiation. Grieve noted that the closure falls mainly on Palestinians by disrupting consular services, aid oversight, and reporting from the West Bank and Gaza.

An expulsion on this scale would severely impair the Israeli embassy in London, which has lacked an ambassador for more than a year. The embassy employs only slightly more than 27 diplomats, meaning the reported British measures could nearly paralyze its day-to-day operations. British sources expressed surprise at the intensity of Israel's response and the short 30-day notice given to diplomats to leave.

The diplomatic breakdown unfolds against a backdrop of wider geopolitical strains. The UK has previously rescinded a large number of arms export licences to Israel and expressed concern over civilian casualties in Gaza.

As the Thursday deadline approaches, talks between British and Israeli officials remain deadlocked. Jonathan Powell's visit last week failed to secure a postponement. Analysts and international observers will watch whether London executes the mass expulsion of Israeli diplomats once the consulate closes, setting an unprecedented precedent for diplomatic representation in Jerusalem.