The UK is preparing a last-ditch effort to prevent Israel from closing its consulate in East Jerusalem, an office that handles British relations with Palestinians in the city.
Israel has threatened to shut the consulate in response to British sanctions on Israeli settlements. The dispute places the future of the UK’s diplomatic presence in East Jerusalem at the centre of tensions between the two countries.
The consulate’s role includes managing the UK’s relations with Palestinians in the city. Its possible closure would therefore affect the way Britain conducts those relations from East Jerusalem.
The British government is expected to make a final attempt to persuade Israel not to proceed. No further details of the proposed diplomatic effort or its likely outcome have been provided.
The latest known position is that Israel has threatened closure, while the UK is seeking to prevent it. The consulate’s future will depend on whether the two sides can resolve the dispute linked to Britain’s sanctions on Israeli settlements.
