Israel Retaliates Over UK West Bank Sanctions, Orders British Consulate Closure Within 30 Days

JERUSALEM, Sep 9: Israel has notified the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem that it must close within 30 days, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, in a move that comes shortly after Britain announced new measures targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

KAN reported Wednesday that Israeli authorities had given the consulate 30 days to shut down, after which British diplomats stationed there would lose their accreditation.

The move followed British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s announcement in the House of Commons on Tuesday of a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, along with sanctions against companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion.

Miliband also announced additional sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians. He said Britain would reject new arms export licenses for items that materially contribute to the occupation, while maintaining the suspension of 30 existing licenses.

The British foreign secretary said the government agreed that there was “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank carried out by what he described as “settler terrorists.”

The Israeli government’s policies toward the occupied Palestinian territories have increasingly drawn international criticism, with opposition figures accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of pushing Israel toward greater diplomatic isolation.

Palestinian figures say Netanyahu’s government has approved 104 new settlements since taking office in late 2022, while 160 agricultural outposts have also been established in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli settlers carried out 3,488 attacks in the occupied West Bank during the first half of 2026, killing 17 Palestinians and fully or partially displacing 26 Bedouin and pastoral communities. The commission also documented 42 new settlement outposts during the period.

Palestinian authorities estimate that around 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 194 settlements and about 400 outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal under international law, a position rejected by Israel.