The UK will withdraw 20 diplomats from Israel, including the Consul General in East Jerusalem, under an agreement reached between the two countries after London imposed sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This was announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
According to the agreements reached, the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem will cease operating in its previous format as of today. At the same time, the UK will maintain its presence in the building it owns, where seven diplomats will continue to work. However, the institution will no longer perform consular functions. Signs reading "British Consulate General" and indicating the consular department have already been removed from the building.
"We have established a clear principle: Israel will not allow actions to be taken against it without appropriate countermeasures," Saar said.
At the same time, the agreement provides for all Israeli diplomats to remain in their posts in London. Earlier, according to media reports, the UK had considered expelling 27 Israeli diplomats as a retaliatory measure.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, in turn, said that London "does not recognize the Israeli government's legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has operated for nearly 200 years."