October 8, 2026
Diplomatic relations between London and Tel Aviv are witnessing escalating tension as the deadline set by Israel to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem approaches, amid indications that Britain may resort to expelling Israeli diplomats in response to this step.
Four informed sources suggested that the British government would expel an equal number of diplomats working at the Israeli embassy in London, if Israel proceeds with its decision to close the consulate and withdraw British diplomats this week.
The roots of the crisis go back to September 8, when Israel issued a 30-day warning to Britain to close the consulate, against the backdrop of London’s announcement of its intention to impose a trade embargo on goods coming from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The deadline expires next Thursday, which puts about 30 British diplomats and their family members in danger, while London has not yet set an exact time frame for its expected step in response to the closure of the mission.
In a related context, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Britain of interfering in the Israeli general elections that were scheduled for this October, following the announcement of the sanctions package.
For its part, the foreign ministries of the two countries refrained from officially commenting on the developments, while an Israeli official was quoted as saying that any action taken against Israel would be met with an appropriate response.
The British Consulate, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, is of great historical and diplomatic importance, as the roots of its establishment go back about two hundred years (i.e. before the establishment of Israel in 1948), and it is responsible for managing London’s relations with the Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as providing consular services to them.
In an effort to contain the crisis, the British National Security Advisor, Jonathan Powell, made an unannounced visit to Israel last week to discuss keeping the consulate open, but the discussions failed to reach an agreement. London also asked European capitals to pressure Israel to reverse the closure decision, while maintaining the hope of reaching a diplomatic settlement.
The crisis reflects the depth of the gap between Israel and its traditional allies regarding the settlement issue, which the majority of countries in the world and the United Nations consider illegal, while the Israeli government rejects this characterization. These developments come in the wake of repeated British criticism of Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip and settler attacks in the West Bank, in exchange for accusations leveled by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the ruling British Labor Party of adopting anti-Israel positions.
It is noteworthy that the British sanctions, scheduled to enter into force next year, came in response to policies that undermine the two-state solution, specifically settlement expansion. Although France and Canada joined in announcing these sanctions, Israel has not taken similar measures against them yet.
