London : Britain-Israel relations have plunged into one of their sharpest diplomatic crises in years after Israel ordered the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem in retaliation for UK-led restrictions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Britain, France and Canada have announced measures to ban imports from Israeli settlements and restrict services linked to settlement activity, arguing that continued expansion and settler violence threaten prospects for a viable Palestinian state. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has accused extremist settlers of “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.
Israel has given Britain 30 days to shut the East Jerusalem consulate and has barred several British politicians from entering the country. British officials have also been removed from a Gaza coordination mechanism, while cooperation involving British training of Palestinian security forces has been halted.
Despite the escalation, Britain maintains that its security relationship with Israel remains important. The latest confrontation, however, marks a significant deterioration in traditionally close ties and reflects London’s increasingly assertive support for Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution.