UK keeps Jerusalem mission open as most diplomats leave amid dispute with Israel

The UK said on 8 October that its diplomatic building in East Jerusalem would remain open as the UK Mission, Jerusalem, after talks with Israel over a threatened consulate closure. Most British diplomats are leaving, however, and Israel says the consulate’s operations have ended. The disagreement matters to Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, whose relations with Britain have been handled by the consulate.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the renamed mission was independent and operational and would continue to deliver vital services and work with Palestinians. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar gave a narrower account: he said seven diplomats could remain in the building with a very limited scope of activity, while 20 diplomats, including the consul general, would leave Israel. The BBC reported Saar’s account and the UK response.

What changed at the UK’s East Jerusalem building

The change followed an Israeli deadline to close the consulate after UK measures announced on 8 September concerning Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The BBC reported that Britain had made last-minute efforts to prevent closure before the 30-day deadline. On Thursday, Saar said Israel had implemented the measures it announced in September and that the consulate sign had been removed.

Saar said the building was British government property and that Israel had authorised a seven-diplomat task force to operate there. In his statement, Miliband said the building would not close and would be called the UK Mission, Jerusalem from 8 October. The BBC reported that the British flag remained outside on Thursday morning and that staff were seen entering the building.

Why diplomats are leaving

UK Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the building remained open and that British staff could continue important work with the Palestinian Authority. He said discussions with Israel were continuing. His account indicates what the UK intends the remaining presence to do, while the precise continuity of individual services has yet to be established in the public statements.

Why the dispute affects UK ties with Palestinians

The consulate handles Britain’s relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, according to the BBC. It is separate from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv, Britain’s main diplomatic hub for relations with Israel. The BBC says the Jerusalem consulate was first established in 1838; Miliband described Britain’s presence there as nearly 200 years old.

The dispute is also about authority in East Jerusalem. Miliband said Britain did not accept that Israel had the legal right to close the consulate and reiterated the UK government’s position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory. Israel said its move was a response to the UK’s September measures concerning settlements in the occupied West Bank. The two governments’ statements therefore differ over both the consulate’s status and the basis for the action taken against it.

What happens to the UK mission next

Miliband said Britain would not take reciprocal action while discussions with Israel remained credible and under way, but he left open the possibility of action later. He also said the UK stood by its September measures. For now, the building remains in British use under a new name, with seven diplomats permitted to remain according to Saar. How staffing, security assurances and services develop will depend on further talks; neither government’s public account establishes a final arrangement.