UK rebrands East Jerusalem consulate as mission after Israeli order

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the United Kingdom’s facility in occupied East Jerusalem will stay open but operate under the new name UK Mission, Jerusalem. This decision follows an Israeli deadline for the site to shut due to a diplomatic row over British sanctions on settlements.

The rebranding allows the office to continue delivering vital services to Palestinians on a smaller scale. Miliband stated that his country does not accept that Israel has the legal right to close the building, which sits in territory captured during the 1967 war.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed that Israel authorized the United Kingdom to keep operating from the structure with limited scope. He specified that only seven diplomats would remain inside while twenty others, including the British consul general, are ending their assignments and leaving the country.

Saar described the measures as appropriate retaliatory actions against the UK government. He stated that it is impossible to act against Israel without facing consequences, noting that the actions of the British Labour government brought the two nations to this difficult point.

Workers were seen removing plaques reading British Consulate General from the building in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Despite these changes, the Union Jack flag remained flying over the structure. The office handles relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

Miliband said the United Kingdom would not take reciprocal action against Israel while both sides engage in talks. This marks a shift from earlier speculation that London might expel several Israeli diplomats. The national security adviser recently travelled to Israel to negotiate this arrangement.

Israel also revoked credentials for Dutch diplomats and banned entry for twelve named individuals. These steps respond to trade bans on goods from settlements that most countries consider illegal. The United Kingdom maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv for diplomatic relations with the Israeli government.