Israel allows UK consulate building to stay open as smaller UK Mission Jerusalem
Israel has allowed the British consulate building in East Jerusalem to stay open as a smaller UK Mission Jerusalem, after a sanctions row over West Bank settlements led to a last minute deal.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Israel has allowed the British consulate building in East Jerusalem to remain open, but it will be reduced to a smaller mission after a last minute deal between London and Jerusalem. The building, which had been the British Consulate General, is now known as the UK Mission Jerusalem. Israel had ordered it to cease operations by today in retaliation for UK trade sanctions on goods from illegal West Bank settlements. Under the agreement, 20 of the 27 British diplomats are being withdrawn and seven are allowed to stay. The consul general, Helen Winterton, has already left the building. The remaining staff will operate in a limited capacity.
UK response
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK does not accept that Israel has the legal right to close the consulate general, which has been in Jerusalem for nearly 200 years. He said the building will not close and will continue as the UK Mission Jerusalem. In his statement, he said the mission is independent, operational and will keep delivering vital services and work with the Palestinian people. He also described the withdrawal as temporary, said there will be no reciprocal action from the UK while discussions continue, and said London will work in the coming months to build up its presence again. The UK government repeated its longstanding view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory and said the mission would support a two-state solution.
Israeli response
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said: "We did not want to reach this point, but the actions of the UK Labour government brought us here." He said UK sanctions against communities in Judea and Samaria, as well as defence export measures and what he called hostile rhetoric, had led to the decision. He also cited accusations of ethnic cleansing against Israel, which he said were false, and said the Labour government had taken a growing series of unilateral measures since July 2024.
Why the building matters
The consulate building is in East Jerusalem, which Israel considers part of its capital but which the UK and much of the international community treat as occupied Palestinian territory. It is separate from the British embassy in Tel Aviv and has been the main British link to Palestinians. The Israeli foreign ministry said the building could stay open with a smaller contingent, but Israeli officials said the remaining diplomats would have a very limited role. Middle East Minister Stephen Doherty said the UK regrets Israel's decisions but will keep services going and maintain a crucial presence in Jerusalem. He said talks with Israel are ongoing.
Wider context
The dispute has taken place against a backdrop of badly damaged relations between the two allies. The UK has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, which has caused further anger in Israel. Israel is due to hold a general election in less than three weeks. Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking another term as prime minister, while former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot is seen as a less right wing challenger. British officials may hope that a change of government could allow staff to return, while a Netanyahu victory could leave the current reduced arrangement in place.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| The Times reported that Israel is to close the UK consulate amid a new low in relations. | Not reported by BBC One | ||
| Only on one channel | |||
| A GB News presenter warned that an end to Israeli intelligence sharing with the UK would lead to more distressing situations in Britain. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Israel's foreign ministry allowed the British Consulate in East Jerusalem to remain open with reduced staff, with 20 British diplomats withdrawn and seven allowed to stay. | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The UK was reported to be preparing to expel Israeli diplomats following sanctions on settlers. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The UK will not take reciprocal action while discussions continue. | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News treated the story as part of a wider attack on the UK government's handling of Israel. The segment from Patrick Christys Tonight framed the consulate row as a self-defeating diplomatic war, claimed the UK would expel Israeli diplomats, and stressed the value of Israeli intelligence and security cooperation. It did not cover the last-minute deal that kept the building open under a new name.
- “we are now it seems to me a diplomatic war with the israelis which is nuts”
- “the consequence of that is that israel is going to close our consulate in jerusalem”
- “and now we are going to expel israeli diplomats”
Sky News led with the practical and symbolic details of the downgrade before reporting the last-minute agreement. It gave airtime to statements from Ed Miliband and Gideon Sa'ar, explained the legal status of East Jerusalem, and used its Jerusalem correspondent to set out the reduced staffing, the diplomatic negotiations and the Israeli election context. Its tone was explanatory and neutral.
- “Israel ordered the change in retaliation to the UK government's trade ban on goods from illegal West Bank settlements.”
- “we have been clear that we do not accept that the government of Israel has the legal right to close the British consulate general in Jerusalem”
- “Relations between Britain and Israel are terrible at the moment.”
BBC One West gave a brief, straight update centred on the foreign ministry's decision to allow the building to stay open with fewer staff. It highlighted the rebranding to UK Mission Jerusalem, the 20 diplomats being withdrawn, the seven staying, and Miliband's description of the move as temporary. It also stressed that the UK embassy in Tel Aviv is unaffected.
- “The Israeli foreign ministry has announced it's allowing the British Consulate building to stay open in East Jerusalem, but with a smaller contingent of staff.”
- “the Consulate building will not be closing and will now be known as the UK Mission Jerusalem from today.”
- “So 20 of the British diplomats who worked here are being withdrawn and seven British diplomats are being allowed to stay.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.