Israel orders British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem shut

Israeli authorities on Wednesday ordered the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem to shut down within 30 days, notifying London that diplomats stationed there would lose their accreditation once the deadline expires, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN. The directive came shortly after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sweeping measures against Israel's settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank.

UK sanctions target settlements

Speaking in the House of Commons, Miliband stated that London would ban imports originating from illegal settlements and impose sanctions on companies and individuals facilitating their expansion. He also said the British government agrees that there is “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank perpetrated by Israeli “settler terrorists,” adding that the UK would reject new arms export licenses for items contributing to the occupation while maintaining the suspension of 30 existing licenses.

Isolation warnings mount

The closure order has sharpened criticism from Israel's opposition, which has repeatedly accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of driving the country toward international isolation through his government's policies. Netanyahu himself acknowledged about a year ago that Israel is entering a form of isolation.

Since taking office in late 2022, his government has approved 104 new illegal settlements and overseen the establishment of 160 agricultural outposts in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian figures. During the first half of 2026, Israeli occupiers carried out 3,488 attacks in the occupied West Bank, killing 17 Palestinians and displacing 26 Bedouin communities, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects.