Israel reportedly considers expelling UK officials from Gaza coordination center

Israeli officials are mulling the possibility of expelling British, German, and Italian representatives from the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC) as tensions escalate between Israel and several European governments over their criticism of Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories, according to a report in the Financial Times.

The US-led IGSC, which oversees the postwar framework for Gaza, has been operating from Kiryat Gat in southern Israel and is attended by US military officers collaborating with the IDF and military and diplomatic delegates from around 50 nations and international organizations. The discussions of expulsions follow Israeli actions against other European nations, including the expulsion of Dutch representatives from the IGSC after the Netherlands initiated a boycott of Israeli goods produced in settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

Previously, Israel also removed Spanish officials from the IGSC, alleging an "obsessive anti-Israel bias." The potential expulsions are fueled by a deteriorating relationship between Israel and European governments over the Gaza war, settler violence in the West Bank, and Israel's expansion of settlements. Britain, Germany, and Italy are among nearly 20 countries, along with the European Commission, that recently signed a joint letter criticizing Israeli plans to expand construction in the E-1 area near Jerusalem, a project opponents claim could sever territorial continuity between parts of the West Bank and harm the prospects for a future Palestinian state.

While the UK foreign secretary declared that Britain would not accept the "destruction of the two-state solution," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar argued that Britain should not "lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic homeland." It is unclear what formal approval Israel would need to remove additional countries from the IGSC, with one person familiar with the matter suggesting that approval might require input from the US-led Board of Peace overseeing Gaza's postwar transition and reconstruction, while another disputed this, asserting that Israel maintains sovereign authority over who enters or remains in the country.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office and German officials did not comment on the matter, while an Italian government official dismissed the possibility of being expelled. Israeli officials only confirmed that "Israel has good relations with Germany and Italy." British officials indicated that while they are aware of the potential repercussions, a response from Britain to Israel's recent actions against Spain and the Netherlands was not surprising.