Israel to close UK consulate in Jerusalem over trade ban on illegal settlements

Israel said it will close the British consulate in Jerusalem after the UK banned trade with West Bank settlements. The move is part of wider countermeasures affecting security co-operation and entry for some British officials.

In Short

• The announcement formed part of a wider set of Israeli countermeasures
• British representatives will be removed from the joint Gaza ceasefire monitoring centre
• British training for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank ends

Israel will close the British consulate in Jerusalem in response to the UK’s decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Tuesday.

The closure is among a series of countermeasures announced by Israel against Britain.

Sa’ar said Israel would also expel British representatives from a joint military centre monitoring the Gaza ceasefire and end British training for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank.

Israel will also bar 12 elected British officials and other UK citizens from entering the country, accusing them of involvement in “antisemitic and anti-Israel activity”.

- Ends