Israel reduces British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

Barricades block the main road leading to British Consulate after the sign outside the consulate was taken down, in east Jerusalem, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

Israel said the British consulate in Jerusalem ended its functions on Oct. 8 but that seven diplomats would be allowed to remain in a limited capacity, with the U.K. saying it would continue to offer “vital services.”

The move comes after Israel ordered the closure of the consulate in September as retaliation after London led Western sanctions over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the Oct. 8 move to downsize the U.K. presence had followed a dialogue with the British government in order to avoid an escalation of tensions between the two countries.

“As I announced, the British consulate in Jerusalem ended its role today,” Saar said in a statement, adding that 20 diplomats including the consul general were ending their missions and leaving the country.

Saar said the building is the property of the British government and that a “task force of only seven diplomats” would be allowed to operate from the premises, “which ceased to function as a consulate today.”

“Their scope of activity will be very limited,” Saar said.

Britain and Israel have “agreed on the continuation of dialogue between the governments, within which both sides will be able to raise issues important to them”, he said.

The U.K. government pledged to continue delivering “vital services” in Jerusalem, saying the consulate general building would remain open and would “be known as the U.K. Mission, Jerusalem.”

The diplomatic emblem and a plaque that adorned the consulate’s facade were removed on Oct. 8.

It was not immediately clear whether new plaques would be put up.

On Sept. 8, Saar ordered the British consulate to close.

At the time, he said Israel would also expel British representatives at a center monitoring the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan in Gaza, bar British training for Palestinian Authority forces and ban 12 Britons, mostly members of parliament, from visiting.

The retaliation came after 12 countries including Britain, Canada and France announced they would sanction trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, following a surge in settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied territory.