In light of a diplomatic dispute with Israel... British Foreign Minister: Our consulate in Jerusalem will remain open

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Thursday that the United Kingdom will not close its consulate in East Jerusalem following talks with the Israeli government, in a new development within a heated diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Miliband said in a statement: “Following discussions with the Israeli government, our Consulate General building will not be closed and will be known from today as the ‘British Mission in Jerusalem’.”

Israeli officials pledged to close the diplomatic mission in September, after the United Kingdom, France, and Canada announced plans to impose sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. It is a coordinated move that highlighted Israel's increasing isolation on the international stage. Miliband added that the British mission in Jerusalem will remain independent and carry out its duties, and "will continue to provide vital services and continue our work with the Palestinian people."

According to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the UK Consul General in Jerusalem and 19 diplomats will end their duties and leave the country, leaving only seven diplomats in the renamed office; “The scope of activity will be very limited,” Saar said. Miliband said in his statement that the United Kingdom mission will work to return some employees and their family members who had been temporarily withdrawn due to the conflict, in order to ensure their safety.

Sanctions announced by the UK in September ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These sanctions will also impose restrictions on some Israeli settlers, and take action against specific companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion across the construction, infrastructure, finance, and real estate sectors.

“The United Kingdom strongly stands by the measures we took on 8 September, in coordination with the international community, in support of a two-state solution to achieve peace and security for the peoples of Israel and Palestine,” Miliband wrote Thursday. He added: “We have made clear that we do not acknowledge that the Israeli government has the legal right to close the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem, which has been there for nearly 200 years.

The British government reaffirms its firm position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.