Britain is considering expelling Israeli diplomats if Israel carries out its order to shut the British consulate in East Jerusalem this week in a dispute over sanctions targeting settlements, four sources said.
Israel on September 8 ordered Britain to close the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from the city, after Britain said it would impose a ban on trade of goods made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The 30-day deadline for Britain to close the consulate ends tomorrow, which will impact around 30 British diplomats who work there, along with their family members, the sources said.
Britain is considering expelling Israeli diplomats from Israel’s embassy in London in response to any closure of the consulate, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
It would be a highly unusual step for allies to expel each other’s diplomats. Despite the current strains, the UK and Israel are close economic, security and intelligence partners.
The British Foreign Office and the Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment. An Israeli official said any action against Israel would be met with a response.
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