The nearly 200-year-old diplomatic facility in East Jerusalem will remain operational on a reduced scale, with 20 British diplomats leaving amid a dispute over UK measures targeting Israeli settlements.
Israel and Britain have reached a compromise over the future of the UK’s nearly 200-year-old diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem, after Israel ordered the British Consulate General to close over London’s measures against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The building will remain operational but will now be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem, Britain said on Thursday. A smaller diplomatic team will continue working from the premises, while 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, will leave Israel.
The dispute began last month after Britain announced measures restricting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Israel subsequently gave Britain a 30-day deadline to close the consulate, with the deadline expiring on Thursday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the consulate had ended its role in its previous capacity. Under the agreement, however, a diplomatic task force of seven British officials will remain at the site with a limited scope of activity.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK does not accept that Israel has the legal right to close the consulate, which has operated in Jerusalem for nearly 200 years. He said the renamed mission would remain independent and operational and would continue providing services and working with Palestinians.
Miliband said Britain had temporarily withdrawn some staff and their families because of concerns over the security and protection of personnel and the premises. London plans to rebuild its diplomatic presence in the coming months.
Britain had previously considered expelling Israeli diplomats in response if the consulate was shut. However, Miliband said the UK would not take reciprocal action while discussions with Israel continue.
The diplomatic dispute has strained relations between the two long-standing allies. Britain has maintained that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel, meanwhile, regards Jerusalem as its capital and rejects the characterisation of East Jerusalem as occupied territory.
The British flag remained flying over the building on Thursday, while Reuters journalists saw workers remove the signs identifying it as the British Consulate General and its consular section.
The UK says the renamed mission will continue its work with Palestinians and provide services to British nationals in the area, preserving Britain's diplomatic presence in Jerusalem despite the sharp deterioration in relations with Israel.
(With agency inputs from Reuters and AP via PTI)
