Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the former consulate-general building will not close on Israel's Thursday deadline and will operate as the UK Mission, Jerusalem. Some staff and families have already been withdrawn.
Britain said on Thursday that its consulate-general building in East Jerusalem will not close and will be known from today as the UK Mission, Jerusalem. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband published the decision on the government website after talks with the Israeli government, on the day Israel had set for the building to shut.
Miliband said London does not accept that Israel has a legal right to close the consulate general, which he said has stood for nearly 200 years. He restated the British view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory. The mission, he said, remains independent and operational and will keep providing services and work with Palestinians.
The Guardian reported that Israel ordered the closure over British plans to sanction West Bank settlements. Miliband said that without an understanding, Britain would not have had the assurances it wanted for staff and premises. He said a number of staff and families had already been withdrawn temporarily for safety.
He said Britain would try to rebuild that presence in the coming months and would not take reciprocal action while discussions continue and look credible. The Guardian reported speculation that London might have expelled some Israeli diplomats; Miliband's statement rules that out for now.
The statement also said Britain stands by measures taken on 8 September with other countries in support of a two-state solution. It does not list which services will move or how many staff remain in the building.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Ed Miliband said Britain does not accept that Israel has a legal right to close the consulate general.
- He said the building will be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem, and will stay independent and operational.
- He said some staff and families were withdrawn because security assurances were not otherwise in place.