Israel orders Britain’s East Jerusalem consulate to close after London joins France and Canada in imposing tougher sanctions over Israeli settlement expansion, reports Asian Lite News Desk
Israel has ordered the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem and imposed entry restrictions on several British MPs, escalating a diplomatic dispute with London over UK sanctions targeting Israeli settlements.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the measures in response to Britain’s decision to impose sanctions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The British Consulate, located in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah area, primarily handles Palestinian-related affairs involving the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Britain’s ambassador to Israel is based separately at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Sa’ar said the consulate’s closure was necessary because Israel considers Jerusalem its capital and regards foreign activity in the city as subject to its sovereignty.
“United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and is under its full sovereignty,” Sa’ar said, accusing Britain of interfering in Israel’s internal affairs.
Israel also announced entry restrictions against a group of British politicians, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana, Labour MPs Diane Abbott, Naz Shah, John McDonnell and Richard Burgon, and Green Party MPs Hannah Spencer, Carla Denyer, Sian Berry and Ellie Chowns.
The Israeli government further said Britain’s longstanding role in training Palestinian security forces in the West Bank would end. London will also be excluded from the US-led Gaza coordination mission based in Israel.
Sa’ar strongly condemned Britain’s sanctions, describing them as “blatant interference” in Israel’s affairs and accusing the British government of pursuing a hostile policy towards Israel.
“The British move is morally distorted,” he said.
The latest confrontation follows remarks by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who described violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank as “ethnic cleansing”.
Sa’ar said he had coordinated Israel’s response with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
