UK Consulate in East Jerusalem Becomes Mission as Diplomats Leave

Britain's diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem has been significantly reduced after Israel moved to close the British consulate — but the UK says the building will remain open as a smaller diplomatic mission.

Israel had announced that it would close the British consulate following a dispute with the UK government over British sanctions relating to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

However, after last-minute discussions between the two governments, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the building would not close and would instead operate as the UK Mission, Jerusalem.

The Foreign Office says the mission will remain operational and continue providing vital services and working with Palestinian people.

Most diplomats to leave

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, would leave Israel.

He said a smaller team of seven diplomats would be allowed to remain in the building, but described their activities as having a very limited scope.

Israel said the arrangements followed measures it had announced in response to the UK's position on Israeli settlements.

Saar said the consulate was therefore ending its operations in its previous form.

Britain says the building is not closing

The UK government disputes Israel's description of the situation.

Miliband said Britain does not accept that Israel has the legal right to close the consulate and reiterated the UK's longstanding position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.

He said the building would continue operating as the UK Mission, Jerusalem.

The Foreign Secretary also confirmed that a number of British staff and their families had been temporarily withdrawn because the UK had not received what it considered necessary assurances about their safety and security.

A diplomatic compromise

The developments represent a compromise between the two governments.

Israel can point to the departure of the consul general and 20 diplomats as evidence that the consulate's previous operations have ended.

Britain, meanwhile, maintains that the building remains open and that a UK diplomatic presence continues.

The Foreign Office says the seven diplomats remaining will be independent and operational, allowing Britain to continue important work with Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority.

The dispute has therefore resulted in a significantly smaller British operation rather than the complete closure of the site.

Why does the consulate matter?

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem has a long history, having first been established in 1838.

Unlike the UK's embassy in Tel Aviv, which is Britain's main diplomatic hub with Israel, the Jerusalem consulate handles UK relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

Its role therefore extends beyond traditional consular services.

Maintaining a British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem is also significant to the UK's wider relationship with Palestinians and its involvement in the region.

Britain holds back on retaliation

Miliband has said Britain reserves the right to take what he described as "reciprocal action".

However, he also said the UK would not take such action while discussions between the two governments remain ongoing and credible.

For now, that means the latest agreement has avoided an immediate further escalation in the dispute.

The two governments nevertheless remain divided over the status of the consulate and Britain's diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem.

What happens next?

For now, the UK Mission will operate with a much smaller diplomatic team.

The British government says it wants to maintain its presence and continue delivering vital services, while discussions with Israel continue.

Israel, meanwhile, maintains that the consulate has ended its previous operations.

The disagreement over the status of the building therefore remains unresolved.

What has changed is the name, the size of the diplomatic team and the scale of Britain's operations.

What has not changed is Britain's insistence that it has a continuing diplomatic role in Jerusalem and that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.

For the moment, the building remains open and a small British diplomatic team continues to operate there.

The next stage will depend on how discussions between London and Jerusalem develop.