Britain has downgraded its diplomatic presence in occupied East Jerusalem after reaching a last-minute agreement with Israel to keep its nearly 200-year-old consular building open as a smaller mission. Twenty British diplomats, including the consul general, are leaving, while seven will remain at what is now known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem. Israel had ordered the consulate to close in response to Britain’s decision to ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the UK says are illegal under international law. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says the scaled-down arrangement is temporary and that Britain does not accept Israel’s legal authority to close the consulate. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the move as a response to British measures against Israel and said the remaining diplomats would have a limited role. The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel’s actions as an attempt to exercise sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem, while the dispute has further strained relations between London and Tel Aviv. With Israeli elections approaching, Palestinians are watching closely to see whether Britain restores its diplomatic presence and maintains its position on settlement policy after the vote.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reports from Ramallah.
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