Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Israel is closing the British consulate in Jerusalem in response to the UK's planned trade restrictions on Judea and Samaria. Additional measures include excluding Britain from the U.S.-led Gaza coordination mission, ending British training of Palestinian Authority security forces, and barring entry to selected British officials and UK nationals. Sa'ar said the steps were coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel has escalated its diplomatic response to British sanctions on Judea and Samaria by ordering the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Tuesday evening. The decision, coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also includes excluding the UK from the U.S.-led Gaza aid coordination mission, halting British training of Palestinian Authority security forces, and barring entry to select British officials and UK nationals.
The move follows a series of Israeli retaliatory measures earlier Tuesday. At 14:39, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of British Ambassador Simon Walters, accusing London of antisemitism. At 17:28, The Zioneer reported that 12 countries led by the UK announced import bans on goods from Judea and Samaria. Israel subsequently barred entry to 12 British officials, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and published their names at 18:36.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israeli settlers of ethnic cleansing with government backing. Sa'ar rejected those allegations as 'outrageous lies' and accused London of interfering in Israel's sovereign affairs and elections. The trade measures are expected to take six to nine months to implement.
8 developments
- StrongThe Zioneer renews call to close French consulate in Jerusalem, cites British consulate precedent
- StrongFrance announces it will halt trade with Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria
- DevelopingBen Gvir demands immediate closure of British consulate in East Jerusalem
- DevelopingUK formulates framework to ban trade with Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria
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