LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Amid a row over UK's opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the British government renamed its East Jerusalem consulate as a mission to defy closure order.
On September 8, Israel had ordered the closure of the consulate after the UK imposed sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are regarded as illegal. Israel announced that the consulate must close within 30 days and that diplomats assigned there will lose their accreditation after the deadline expires.
On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that 20 diplomats and the consul general would leave the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, while a task force of seven could remain in the building 'with a very limited scope of activity'. 'We did not want it to come to this,' Saar wrote on social media.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said later in the day after discussions with the Government of Israel that the UK Consulate General building will not be closed, but will be known as the UK Mission, Jerusalem. 'The UK Mission, Jerusalem is independent, operational, and will continue to deliver vital services and our work with the Palestinian people,' he said in a statement.
However, Miliband said that due to lack of necessary assurances for the security and protections of the consulate staff and premises, the UK has temporarily withdrawn a number of staff and families to ensure their safety and security.
'We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence, and we will not take reciprocal action while such discussions are underway and credible'.
He insisted that the UK stands steadfast by the sanctions imposed on Israel a month ago, 'in concert with the international community, in support of a two-state solution to deliver peace and security for the people of Israel and Palestine'.
'We have been clear that we do not accept that the Government of Israel has the legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has been there for nearly 200 years. The UK government reiterates its long-standing view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory,' Miliband said in a statement.
The British Consulate General in Jerusalem is the British diplomatic representation in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The consulate was first established in 1838. Located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, it is distinct from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv, which is the British government's main diplomatic office in Israel.
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