Britain is considering expelling 27 Israeli diplomats from London if Israel proceeds with plans to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, in a dramatic escalation of the diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
The reported threat, conveyed by British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters, would see London expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat whose position in East Jerusalem is terminated, according to Israeli media reports.
Senior British officials have also indicated that the families of affected Israeli diplomats could be required to leave.
The move would represent one of the sharpest deteriorations in UK-Israel relations in decades, as the Labour government adopts an increasingly confrontational position over Israel’s policies in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
Israel has ordered the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem to close by October 8. The mission plays a central role in Britain’s relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza and is separate from the British embassy in Tel Aviv. Around 27 British diplomats work at the consulate.
The crisis follows Britain’s decision last month to impose measures against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including restrictions on settlement-produced goods and sanctions against individuals and companies linked to settlement activity.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded by ordering the consulate’s closure and removing British representatives from a Gaza coordination centre. Israel also ended British participation in training Palestinian Authority security forces and barred a group of British politicians and other nationals from entering the country.
Britain has sought to prevent the consulate closure through diplomatic channels. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell travelled to Israel last week for talks, but failed to secure an agreement, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The confrontation has increasingly become intertwined with Labour’s rhetoric on Israel.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of allowing “ethnic cleansing” to take place in the West Bank when announcing the settlement measures.
At the Labour Party conference, he told pro-Palestinian protesters: “We hear you; you were right”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has condemned Hamas while arguing that its attacks do not justify Israel’s conduct.
“This does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank,” he said.
“Far too many people have died, including so many children. Far too little aid is getting in. It has gone on for far too long.”
For Israel, the measures represent an increasingly hostile British policy towards its government. For London, the settlement restrictions are intended to reinforce opposition to policies it argues are undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.
The prospect of reciprocal diplomatic expulsions nevertheless raises the stakes significantly. The Israeli embassy in London has already been without an ambassador since Tzipi Hotovely returned to Israel in September 2025, leaving the mission headed by a chargé d’affaires.
If the reported expulsions proceed, a dispute that began with sanctions over settlements could develop into a much broader rupture in Britain’s diplomatic relationship with one of its longstanding Middle Eastern partners.
Leave a Comment