OMM Redaksiyası
Israel has ordered the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem and barred 12 British citizens from entering the country. The decision came after London announced restrictions on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and sanctions against individuals and companies involved in settlement expansion.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the measures had been prepared with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under the decision, British representatives will be removed from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, while Britain’s training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank will also be halted.
Sa’ar accused the 12 selected British officials and other citizens banned from entering Israel of “antisemitic and anti-Israel activity” and of “denying the very existence of the State of Israel.” According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Britain has been given 30 days to close the consulate. Once the deadline expires, British diplomats there will lose their accreditation.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank would be banned. London will also impose additional sanctions on companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion, as well as Israeli settlers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.
Miliband said Britain would refuse new arms export licenses for products that materially contribute to Israel’s activities in the West Bank and would maintain the suspension of 30 existing licenses. He said Britain believed that “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians was being carried out in the West Bank by Israeli “settler terrorists.”
France, Canada and 10 other countries have backed Britain’s measures. They said they would impose or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Egypt and Jordan also welcomed the decision and called for tougher international measures to prevent settlement expansion.
The diplomatic tensions come as Israel advances plans to build about 1,200 new housing units in the West Bank. According to Palestinian officials, since Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power at the end of 2022, the Israeli government has approved 104 new settlements and established 160 agricultural outposts.
According to the Palestinian Commission for Colonization and Wall Resistance, 3,488 settler attacks were recorded in the West Bank during the first six months of 2026. The attacks killed 17 Palestinians, fully or partially displaced 26 Bedouin and nomadic communities, and resulted in the establishment of 42 new outposts.
The Palestinian side says that about 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 194 settlements and 400 outposts in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israel has controlled the territory since 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law, while Israel rejects that position.
The closure of the British consulate could lead to a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries. The dispute could also increase pressure on Israel’s relations with European governments over its policies concerning the West Bank and the war in Gaza.
