Britain and Israel have stepped back from a diplomatic confrontation, announcing Thursday that the nearly 200-year-old British consulate in Jerusalem will stay open — but smaller, and under a new name.
Under the last-minute agreement, the mission, founded in 1839, will be renamed the “UK Mission.” Israel said 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, would depart, leaving seven staff in a limited role. Britain described its withdrawals as temporary, said it intends to rebuild its presence, and held off on reciprocal measures for now.
The dispute began last month when Israel gave Britain 30 days to close the consulate after London announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a ban on trade in goods from there. In the days before the deadline, officials had signalled Britain was prepared to consider ejecting Israeli diplomats if the mission were shuttered — a step that would have marked a serious rupture between longstanding allies.
Workers were seen Thursday removing signage from the building, even as the British flag continued to fly. Israel’s foreign minister said the consulate would formally end operations while some diplomats continued working on site; his British counterpart rejected the claim that Israel has the legal right to close it, noting the mission stands in a part of the city captured in the 1967 war and later annexed in a move most countries do not recognise.
Both sides, for now, are presenting the deal as a win: the building stays open, the flag stays up, and the argument over what it all means gets postponed.
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