Jerusalem consulate becomes ‘UK Mission’ as some staff withdrawn

The British Consulate General building in Jerusalem became the UK Mission, Jerusalem on 8 October, with a number of staff and families temporarily withdrawn, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said.

Miliband said the UK did not accept that Israel had “the legal right to close” the consulate general, which Miliband said had been there for “nearly 200 years”. The Foreign Office statement repeated the UK government’s “long-standing view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory”.

The building “will not be closing”, Miliband said, and the mission is “independent, operational” and will keep delivering “vital services” as well as “our work with the Palestinian people”.

The statement said that without an understanding, “we would not have the necessary assurances for the security and protections of our staff and premises”. It did not say how many staff and families had been withdrawn, or for how long.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on social media that “The British Consulate in Jerusalem is closing its operations today” and that the consulate’s sign had been removed, the BBC reported. The report added that the British flag could still be seen outside on the morning of 8 October, and that several staff were seen entering.

Saar said talks with the UK government had resulted in agreement on certain principles, including that “the consul general and 20 diplomats (including the consul general) are ending their duties and will leave Israel”. Saar also said Israel had authorised “a task force of only seven diplomats with a very limited scope of activity” to operate in the building, which Saar acknowledged was “the property of the British government”. As a result of the agreement with the UK, Saar said, “no steps will be taken against Israel”.

Miliband said the UK would not take reciprocal action “while such discussions are underway and credible”, and that it would work “in the coming months to build back up our presence”.

Asked on the Today programme whether the change was a political fudge, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said “you can see what’s changed in terms of a name but crucially our presence remains”.

What happened before

On 8 September, the UK announced a ban on imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, along with new powers to target individuals and companies that “support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlement activity”. It came as part of joint action with France and Canada to restrict trade with settlements.

Israel said in September it would close the consulate within 30 days of that announcement, according to the same report, a deadline that fell on 8 October.

The consulate general is separate from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv. It handles UK relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

Miliband said the UK “stands steadfast by the measures we took on 8 September”.