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Britain is likely to expel Israeli diplomats if Israel goes ahead with its order to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem this week, four sources told Reuters, in a deepening dispute over U.K. sanctions on Israeli settlements.
British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters has told Israeli officials that London would expel 27 diplomats from Israel's embassy in London, one for each British diplomat at the consulate, if the closure is not reversed, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported.
The standoff marks a new low in relations between the once-steadfast allies. Israel ordered the consulate shut after Britain announced a ban on trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel on Sept. 8 ordered Britain to close the East Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and remove its diplomats from the city.
The deadline ends Thursday, affecting around 30 British diplomats and their families.
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday the consulate would close on schedule.
Local employees have been dismissed, and British diplomats are preparing to leave.
British officials were particularly angered by the 30-day notice, noting that Russia gave Britain four months to close its St. Petersburg consulate in an espionage dispute.
The consulate, in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, handles Britain's relations with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and has been in Jerusalem for almost 200 years.
"There is no reason for us to address speculation about decisions other countries may or may not make in the future," Israeli diplomatic officials told Ynet.
"We have already demonstrated that every move against Israel will be answered accordingly, and that will continue to be the case," the official added.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment to Reuters, while an Israeli official said any action against Israel would be met with a response.
Saar has accused London of interfering in Israel's Oct. 27 election.
Britain's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, quietly visited Israel last week in a bid to keep the consulate open but failed to reach an agreement. A fifth source said Britain was still hopeful of a deal, while two others said London had asked European countries to raise the issue with Israel.
Powell had opposed Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's push for the settlement trade ban, fearing it could play into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hands ahead of the election.
An expulsion of 27 diplomats would severely impair the Israeli Embassy's operations, as its diplomatic staff numbers only slightly more than 27.
The ambassador's post has been vacant since Tzipi Hotovely left in September 2025.
"Creating crises is not a policy. Picking fights with the entire world is not a policy," opposition leader Yair Lapid said.
"What this means in practice is shutting down the Israeli Embassy in London. How exactly does that benefit the State of Israel?" he added.
In announcing the sanctions, which take effect next year, Britain said Israel's actions were undermining the prospect of a two-state solution, citing settlement expansion and rising settler attacks on Palestinians. France and Canada joined in announcing sanctions, but Israel has not taken action against them.
Nearly all countries and U.N. bodies consider the settlements illegal under international law, which Israel disputes.
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