TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM: Israel announced on Tuesday that it would close the British consulate in East Jerusalem in response to the United Kingdom’s decision to ban trade in goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the consulate, which handles Britain’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank, would be shut as part of a broader package of retaliatory measures coordinated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel also said Britain would no longer be permitted to participate in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza, while British training programmes for Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank would be terminated. Several British nationals, including elected political figures, are also to be barred from entering Israel.
Saar accused London of interfering in Israel’s domestic affairs and sharply rejected comments made by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband concerning settlement expansion and violence against Palestinians. Britain announced its measures alongside France and Canada, while a wider group of 12 countries said they intended to introduce or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements, which they regard as illegal under international law.
The dispute follows growing international criticism of settlement expansion, including Israel’s E1 project, and a rise in settler violence in the occupied West Bank. Britain’s new restrictions are expected to take several months to come fully into force.