Israel's foreign minister says it is closing British consulate in East Jerusalem
“Today we refuse to be bystanders to further suffering and to the destruction of the two-state solution,” British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Tuesday that the country will be closing its consulate in East Jerusalem, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. This decision comes after Britain imposed sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements. Saar also stated that Britain will no longer be able to participate in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza in Israel, and that Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank will no longer receive British training.
Additionally, some elected UK officials and other nationals will be banned from entering Israel. Saar labeled Britain's move as morally distorted and interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process, dismissing earlier accusations by British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband as "outrageous lies." The Israeli minister said that he had coordinated Israel's response with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that Israel would hold elections in late October.
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