Israel declares British consulate in Jerusalem has 'ceased to function' as 20 diplomats are forced to leave
From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.
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Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar declared the British consulate in East Jerusalem had "ceased to function" on Thursday as the 30-day deadline expired, with the consulate sign removed and the consul general among 20 diplomats expelled from Israel. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband insisted the building — established in 1838, nearly 200 years ago — would not close and would instead operate as the "UK Mission, Jerusalem" with a skeleton staff of seven. Sa'ar said the UK had been authorised only a "task force" with a "very limited scope of activity." Britain said it would not take reciprocal action against Israeli diplomats while talks continued.
Sa'ar blamed Labour directly, writing: "We did not want to reach this point, but the actions of the UK Labour Government brought us here."
The standoff began after Miliband announced a trade ban on goods from illegal West Bank settlements and accused Israel of ignoring the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians.
National security adviser Jonathan Powell reportedly visited Israel secretly last week in a last-ditch bid to save the consulate — and failed.
