Israel will close the British Consulate in Jerusalem following a series of measures announced by the United Kingdom and other countries targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.
Saar described the British government as “hostile” as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate over Israel’s policies in the West Bank and the war in Gaza.
The announcement came after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK would ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Britain considers illegally occupied territory under international law.
Speaking in the British Parliament, Miliband accused “settler terrorists” of carrying out what he described as “ethnic cleansing” and accused the Israeli government of “turning a blind eye” to the violence.
He also said France and Canada would join the UK in imposing sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
Nine additional countries have since announced similar measures: Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
The measures come as Israel plans to advance the construction of around 1,200 new homes in the occupied West Bank, amid an increase in settler attacks against Palestinians this year.
The decision to close the British Consulate would mark a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Israel and the UK, whose relationship has increasingly been strained by disagreements over Israeli settlement policy and the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.
