Israel is expected to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem this week. The Israeli foreign ministry stated that the consulate would close on Thursday.
This consulate, which is separate from the UK embassy located in Tel Aviv, is the site of the planned closure. The UK previously banned trade in goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements within the occupied West Bank and imposed sanctions on British firms.
France and Canada joined the UK in implementing the trade ban on settlements. The UK threatened to expel Israeli diplomats for every British diplomat Israel forces to leave the country.
UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell visited Jerusalem last week. Miliband opposed the decision by the UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, to proceed with the trade ban on settlements.
Miliband claimed that settler terrorists, supported by Netanyahu’s government, are carrying out ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. Israel disputes the allegation of ethnic cleansing occurring in the West Bank.
The UK Foreign Office stated it would not comment on any speculation regarding the matter. The former UK attorney general Dominic Grieve informally advised the UK Foreign Office that Israel acts unlawfully if it closes the consulate based on its location in East Jerusalem.
