‘Not the act of a friend’: Israel’s deadline to close UK consulate nears

What the report says

Israel’s 30-day deadline for the United Kingdom to close its East Jerusalem consulate is nearing, after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the move in response to new British sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported from London. The story said the dispute has intensified already strained UK-Israel relations, with reports that London could expel Israeli diplomats if the closure proceeds.

Former British consul general to Jerusalem Sir Vincent Fean told Al Jazeera the order was unlawful and said the consulate has a right to operate in East Jerusalem, which he described as part of the State of Palestine. Fean, who served in the post from 2010 to 2014 and now works with the Britain Palestine Project, also said the office matters because it handles UK contacts with the Palestinian authorities and consular support for British nationals in the area.

The article placed the dispute in the context of wider diplomatic tensions. It said the UK has recently imposed an import ban on goods from settlements and changed its language on Israel’s conduct in the occupied West Bank, while Israel has also expelled the UK from a Gaza coordination centre and barred several British politicians from entry. The Britain Palestine Project, along with human rights advocates and Palestinian campaigners, argued that closing the consulate would amount to an assertion of sovereignty over occupied territory.

Al Jazeera also noted that the issue touches on long-standing international disagreements over East Jerusalem’s status, including United Nations resolutions rejecting changes to the city’s legal and demographic character. The UK formally recognized the State of Palestine in 2025, according to the report.