Israel to Close British Consulate in Jerusalem Over UK Sanctions on West Bank Settlements

Israel has announced plans to close the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, escalating a rapidly worsening diplomatic dispute with the United Kingdom over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the retaliatory measure on Tuesday, shortly after Britain introduced sweeping trade restrictions targeting goods and services linked to Israeli settlements. Sa’ar said the decision had been coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The British consulate, located in East Jerusalem, handles Britain’s diplomatic and consular engagement concerning the Palestinian territories. Britain maintains its embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem.

The closure of the consulate is part of a broader package of measures announced by Israel.

Sa’ar said Britain would also be excluded from a U.S.-led coordination mechanism for Gaza, while British involvement in training Palestinian Authority security forces would be halted. Israel also said some British nationals, including elected officials, would be barred from entering the country.

The Israeli foreign minister accused Britain of interfering in Israel’s internal affairs and described the British measures as unacceptable.

The announcement marks a significant deterioration in relations between two longstanding Western partners and comes as international pressure on Israel over settlement expansion continues to grow.

Britain’s measures include a ban on trade in goods and services from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The move was coordinated with France and Canada, with a wider group of countries supporting sanctions or other measures targeting settlement activity.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the policy was aimed at protecting the possibility of a two-state solution and responding to what Britain described as escalating settlement expansion and settler violence.

The British government has also accused settlers of contributing to what it calls “ethnic cleansing” in parts of the West Bank. Israel strongly rejects such accusations.

The sanctions follow Israel’s advancement of plans for further settlement construction, including the controversial E1 project east of Jerusalem. Critics say the project could make the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state significantly more difficult.

The confrontation represents one of the sharpest recent breakdowns in UK-Israel relations.

Israel’s decision to target Britain’s diplomatic presence in Jerusalem comes after Sa’ar had previously warned that Israel would retaliate if London imposed sanctions against Israeli settlements.

The dispute is also unfolding against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and increasing international concern over Israel’s policies in the West Bank.

For Britain, the measures are part of what its government describes as a broader effort to defend the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution. For Israel, the sanctions amount to unacceptable foreign interference and pressure over its settlement policy.

With Israel now moving to close the British consulate and restrict British officials, the dispute threatens to push relations between London and Tel Aviv into an even deeper diplomatic crisis.