British National Security Advisor Visited Israel to Prevent Closure of the Consulate in East Jerusalem

Tel Aviv - Afaq News - British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell visited Israel last week in an attempt to prevent the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem, but the two sides did not reach an agreement on the issue, according to Reuters.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Reuters that the consulate will close on Thursday, October 8, as planned.

Britain had threatened to respond with a similar move, as previous reports indicated that the British ambassador conveyed to Israeli officials a message stating that if there is no reversal of the decision to close the consulate, Britain intends to expel 27 Israeli diplomats from the Israeli embassy in London.

This number is equivalent to the number of British diplomats working at the British consulate in East Jerusalem, which provides services to the Palestinian population.

According to reports, dozens of local staff working at the consulate were dismissed in light of the decision, while British diplomats are preparing to leave the location.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced about a month ago the decision to close the consulate, a move that came in response to sanctions imposed by Britain, including a trade ban with the settlements.

As part of the Israeli measures, Sa'ar also announced the expulsion of British representatives from the international center in Kiryat Gat, the cessation of British activities to train Palestinian Authority forces, in addition to preventing 12 elected officials and British citizens from entering Israel.