Israel orders closure of British consulate in East Jerusalem

Israel has notified the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem that it must close within 30 days, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Wednesday.

The move came shortly after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, along with sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion.

According to KAN, Israel gave the consulate 30 days to shut down, after which British diplomats stationed there will lose their accreditation.

Earlier Tuesday, Miliband announced in the House of Commons a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, sanctions on companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and additional sanctions on extremist Israeli occupiers accused of supporting or inciting violence against Palestinians.

He also said the UK would reject new arms export licenses for items that materially contribute to the occupation while maintaining the suspension of 30 existing licenses.

Miliband said the British government agrees that there is “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank perpetrated by Israeli “settler terrorists.”

Netanyahu driving Israel toward international isolation

The Israeli opposition has repeatedly accused Netanyahu of driving the country toward international isolation through his government’s policies and the genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu himself acknowledged about a year ago that Israel is entering a form of isolation.

Since taking office in late 2022, Netanyahu’s government has approved 104 new illegal settlements, while 160 agricultural outposts have been established in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian figures.

During the first half of 2026, Israeli occupiers carried out 3,488 attacks in the occupied West Bank, killing 17 Palestinians and fully or partially displacing 26 Bedouin and pastoral communities, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. The commission also documented the establishment of 42 new illegal outposts.

Around 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 194 illegal settlements and 400 illegal outposts across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian figures.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects.