Israel Closes British Consulate as UK Doubles Down on Sanctions

“I regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I’m proud of what we did yesterday,” Miliband said.

By United with Israel Staff

Israel has ordered British diplomats to leave Jerusalem and Ramallah and expelled British representatives from a U.S.-led Gaza coordination center, as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended sweeping sanctions against Israel despite acknowledging that the Israeli response would damage Britain’s ties with the Palestinians.

Israel told the British Consulate in Jerusalem that it must close within 30 days and that diplomats assigned there will lose their accreditation, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing an Israeli official and two sources familiar with the matter.

British officials assigned to the U.S.-led Gaza coordination mission in Israel, along with British diplomats based in Ramallah, have been given seven days to leave, Reuters reported.

Sa’ar, acting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, announced four measures: closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem, removing Britain from the Gaza coordination center, ending British training of Palestinian Authority security forces in Judea and Samaria, and barring 12 British lawmakers and other nationals accused of anti-Israel or antisemitic activity or denying Israel’s existence.

The measures came after Miliband announced a ban on imports from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, sanctions targeting individuals and businesses involved in settlement activity, further restrictions related to arms exports, and a change in Britain’s official position declaring Israel’s presence in territories claimed by the Palestinians unlawful.

Sa’ar accused Miliband of making “outrageous lies” in Parliament and described Britain’s actions as “morally distorted” and “blatant interference” in Israel’s affairs and election campaign.

He also accused the Labour government of singling out Israel for boycotts while ignoring Palestinian terrorism and the Palestinian Authority’s payments to terrorists and their families.

“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel,” Sa’ar said, arguing that Jewish ties to Judea and Samaria stretch back thousands of years. He rejected Britain’s contention that construction in E1 would destroy Palestinian territorial contiguity and said infrastructure plans would preserve transportation links between Palestinian population centers.

Sa’ar warned that Britain’s sanctions would also hurt tens of thousands of Palestinians employed in Israeli communities and said the Palestinian Authority would “not be immune” from potential Israeli measures.

But Miliband doubled down Wednesday, calling Israel’s retaliation “regrettable and damaging” while insisting Britain had made the right decision.

“I regret what the Israeli government has announced, but I’m proud of what we did yesterday, and it was the right thing to do,” Miliband told Sky News.

He acknowledged that closing Britain’s Jerusalem consulate would damage London’s relationship with the Palestinian Authority, but said the government had anticipated the consequences.

“We weighed up the costs and the benefits in advance of this. And we did something very important,” he said.

Miliband said Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the Palestinian ambassador to Britain had urged London to act against Israel.

The foreign secretary also rejected criticism from British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who described Tuesday’s announcement as a “truly dark day for British Jews.”

“I don’t agree with the Chief Rabbi,” Miliband told the BBC’s Today program, rejecting the argument that Britain was disproportionately focusing on Israel while grave abuses occur elsewhere in the world.

Miliband said the continued expansion of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria amounted to “the oppression of the Palestinian people” and insisted Britain was not prepared to “stand by” without taking action.

Sa’ar, meanwhile, warned that Britain’s punishment would not be the end of Israel’s response to the international sanctions campaign.

“Britain initiated and led the current move,” he said. “But we will also take countermeasures, at our discretion, against other countries that act or will act against Israel.”

“The message to every government that harms us is clear: whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region,” he added.

Israel is expected to announce measures against France and other countries that have moved to impose restrictions targeting Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.