Britain is set to expel Israeli diplomats from its embassy in the UK if Israel follows through with closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem by this week’s deadline, according to sources. The dispute arose after Britain announced sanctions targeting goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. This move could affect about 30 British officials and their families working at the consulate, which has been operational for nearly two centuries. Both sides have engaged in criticism over various issues; Britain condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and its settlement policies, while Israel accused Britain of interfering in domestic affairs ahead of recent elections.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Britain likely to expel Israeli diplomats if Jerusalem consulate closes, sources say
TEL AVIV, Oct 6 -
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sources → expel → diplomats
Britain is likely to expel Israeli diplomats if Israel carries out its order to shut the British consulate in East Jerusalem this week in a dispute over sanctions targeting Israeli settlements, four sources said.
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sources → expel → settlements
Israel on September 8 ordered Britain to close the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from the city, after Britain said it would impose a ban on trade of goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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it → order → Bank
The 30-day deadline for Britain to close the consulate ends on Thursday, which will impact around 30 British diplomats who work there, along with their family members, the sources said.
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sources → close → members
If the consulate is closed, Britain is likely to respond by expelling a similar number of Israeli diplomats from Israel's embassy to the United Kingdom, the sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
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sources → close → anonymity
The sources did not say how quickly Britain would act if the consulate closes.
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consulate → say → ?
After Britain announced the sanctions, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused London of interfering in this month's Israeli general election.
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Saar → announce → election
The British foreign office did not respond to a request for comment.
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office → respond → comment
The Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment.
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ministry → decline → ?
An Israeli official said any action against Israel would be met with a response.
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action → say → response
The British sanctions announcement, and Israel's response, marked a new low in the relationship between the once steadfast allies.
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announcement → mark → allies
Britain has repeatedly criticised Israel over its actions in the war in Gaza and over Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians.
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Britain → criticise → Palestinians
Israel's government has accused Britain's governing Labour party of being hostile towards Israel.
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government → accuse → Israel
The British consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, handles the country's relations with Palestinians in the city as well as in the West Bank and Gaza.
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consulate → handle → Bank
It also provides consular services to Palestinians.
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It → provide → Palestinians
The consulate has been in Jerusalem for almost 200 years, long before the State of Israel was established in 1948.
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State → establish → 1948
Reuters reported on Monday that Britain's top national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, had quietly visited Israel last week in a bid to keep the consulate open but failed to reach an agreement.
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adviser → report → agreement
A fourth source said Britain was still hopeful an agreement could be reached.
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agreement → say → ?
Two other sources said that Britain has asked European countries to raise the issue with Israel in hope of convincing the government to reverse its decision.
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Britain → say → decision
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Reuters on Monday the consulate would close on Thursday.
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consulate → tell → Thursday
In announcing the sanctions, Britain said that Israel's actions were undermining the possibility of a two-state solution — the idea of a Palestinian state co-existing peacefully alongside Israel.
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state → announce → Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government openly rejects the idea of Palestinian statehood.
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government → reject → statehood
Britain, which recognised the State of Palestine last year, cited Israeli government-backed projects to expand settlements and rising settler attacks targeting Palestinians in the West Bank.
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which → recognise → Bank
The British sanctions are to take effect next year.
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sanctions → take → effect
France and Canada joined in announcing sanctions.
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France → join → sanctions
Israel has not taken action against Paris or Ottawa.
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Israel → take → Paris
The incident highlighted growing frustration among Israel's longtime allies over its settlements in the occupied West Bank, territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.
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Israel → highlight → war
Nearly all countries and all UN bodies view the settlements as illegal under international law, which Israel disputes.
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Israel → view → which
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