New Delhi: Israel has announced plans to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, in retaliation for new UK sanctions targeting goods produced in Israeli
settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the move on Tuesday, September 8, accusing Britain of interfering in Israel’s internal affairs and adopting what he called a ‘morally distorted’ position. Israel will also bar several British politicians and officials from entering the country, halt British training for Palestinian Authority security forces and remove British representatives from a US-led coordination mechanism linked to Gaza.
Israel hits back
The consulate in East Jerusalem has an important role in Britain’s engagement with the Palestinians. Unlike the British embassy in Tel Aviv, it handles much of the UK’s political, consular and development work involving the West Bank and Palestinian territories.
The Israeli decision marks a sharp escalation in already deteriorating relations between the two countries. Britain has become increasingly critical of Israel’s policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, while Israel has accused the UK government of adopting a hostile position towards it.
Why did Israel move against Britain?
The immediate trigger was Britain’s decision to ban imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Britain announced the measure alongside France, Canada and other countries, arguing that settlement expansion and settler violence were undermining the possibility of a two-state solution.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband went further, accusing extremist Israeli settlers of carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ against Palestinians. The British government has also formally maintained that Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal under international law.
The issue has been building for months. In June, Britain strengthened its guidance to businesses, warning them against economic and financial activity in Israeli settlements. British lawmakers had also pushed the government to go further and impose a formal trade ban.
The new sanctions represent a shift from diplomatic criticism to concrete economic measures. Although the economic impact is expected to be limited because settlement exports to Britain are relatively small, the political message and symbolism of the act itself is significant.
Israel has responded particularly strongly to Britain. Sa’ar said the UK would be excluded from a US-led coordination mission dealing with Gaza and that British training of Palestinian security personnel would end. Israel has also announced entry bans on 12 British figures, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
