UK threatens mass expulsion of Israeli diplomats

The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the reported threat to expel the Israeli diplomats but did not deny the report.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Britain has threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats from London if Israel carries out its planned closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem, Ynet reported, escalating a diplomatic dispute that began after the UK imposed new measures targeting Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria.

British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters informed Israeli officials that London intends to expel the same number of Israeli diplomats as the British personnel who would lose their diplomatic status under Israel’s decision.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the consulate closed and revoked the diplomatic credentials of its 27 staff members after the United Kingdom announced economic sanctions and import restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria last month.

Israel gave the British diplomats 30 days to leave, with the closure scheduled to take effect around October 8, 2026.

The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the reported threat to expel the Israeli diplomats but did not deny the report.

British officials also sought to prevent the closure through direct talks with Israel. UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell traveled to the country for undisclosed, last-minute discussions, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

Former UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve has advised the Foreign Office that Israel would be acting unlawfully if it closes the consulate based on its location in Jerusalem.

The UN considers the area where the consulate is located to be occupied Palestinian territory.

The diplomatic confrontation followed Britain’s announcement last month that it would ban imports from Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and restrict services that support settlement expansion. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing.”

Sa’ar subsequently ordered the British Consulate in Jerusalem to cease operations and stripped its staff of their diplomatic accreditation.