UK threatens to expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Jerusalem consulate is shuttered – report
After FM Sa'ar orders diplomatic mission closed, London said to warn it will boot one envoy for each member of staff who loses job; resolution talks reportedly ongoing
Britain has warned Israel that it could expel 27 Israeli diplomats from the embassy in London if Israel follows through on its decision to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, where 27 British diplomats work, according to an unsourced Ynet report on Monday.
British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters has conveyed the message to Israeli officials, the report said, with London threatening to expel one Israeli diplomat for each British diplomat whose work at the consulate is terminated.
The threat would be the latest escalation in badly strained ties between Jerusalem and London. Last month, the United Kingdom announced sweeping measures targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, prompting Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to announce a series of countermeasures, including the closure of the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days — a deadline set to take effect this Thursday.
The British embassy in Israel declined to comment on the Ynet report, while Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Later Monday, an Israeli diplomatic source said, “There is no reason for us to respond to speculation regarding decisions that other countries may or may not make in the future. We have already demonstrated that any step taken against Israel will be met with an appropriate response, and that will continue to be the case in the future.”
Unnamed sources familiar with the developments told Ynet the British were surprised and shocked by Israel’s response to the sanctions, and in particular the short notice given regarding the consulate.
Britain had tried to resolve the diplomatic standoff, with its top national security official quietly visiting Israel last week in a bid to prevent the closure of the consulate, three sources told Reuters.
National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, whose visit has not been disclosed by Britain’s government, held talks with Israeli officials but failed to reach an agreement to keep the consulate open, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Two of the sources said talks were ongoing, and while an agreement to keep the consulate open was possible, it was unlikely that one would be struck by the Thursday deadline.
Asked about Powell’s visit and talks with London over the consulate, a spokesperson for Sa’ar told Reuters that it would close on Thursday, as announced.
A UK government spokesperson had no immediate comment.
The removal of 27 diplomats would be a serious blow to the London embassy, which has not had an ambassador since September 2025, when the previous envoy, Tzipi Hotovely, ended her term.
Sa’ar said the order to close the East Jerusalem was a joint decision with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that, in addition, Israel would expel British representatives from the US-backed International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, terminate the British Support Team in Ramallah tasked with training members of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, and bar 12 British elected officials and citizens “involved in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity.”
France and Canada joined Britain in the settlement sanctions, but Israel has not taken action against them.
The incident has highlighted growing frustration among Israel’s longtime allies over its escalating settlement actions in the West Bank.
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 coexisting peacefully alongside Israel. Netanyahu’s government openly rejects the idea of Palestinian statehood.
Britain cited Israeli government-backed plans to expand settlements and rising settler extremist attacks targeting Palestinians in the West Bank. The British sanctions are to take effect next year.
The British consulate, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, handles the country’s relations with Palestinians in the city as well as in the West Bank and Gaza. It also provides consular services to Palestinians. Britain’s embassy is in Tel Aviv.
Sa’ar has said that Britain’s decision to impose sanctions was “morally distorted,” while accusing the country’s ruling Labour party of being hostile toward Israel, and of interfering in Israel’s upcoming general election on October 27.