SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Jerusalem: Most diplomats have left the UK consulate after “it ended operations” in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel said on Thursday, October 8, while Britain maintained that its “mission” will remain to work with the Palestinians.
The UK consulate building in occupied Jerusalem will not shut down; instead, it will operate as the “UK Mission” from today, said UK Foreign Minister Ed Miliband. He reiterated the British government’s “long-standing” view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.
“The UK Mission is independent, operational and will continue to deliver vital services and work with the Palestinian people,” the minister said. Miliband clarified that the UK temporarily withdrew some staff and families from the city to ensure safety and security.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the UK consulate is “ending its activities today” and that it will “continue operating under a limited capacity, and the signage on the consulate building has been removed accordingly.”
“We did not want it to come to this,” Saar said on social media, adding that 20 diplomats, along with the Consul General, would be leaving Israel. A task force of seven members would remain in the consulate building “with a very limited scope of activity.”
The move comes nearly a month after the UK announced sanctions on West Bank settlements in September, banning the import of goods from the occupied Palestinian territories, declaring it illegal.
SOURCE : SIASAT
