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Israel orders closure of UK consulate in Jerusalem over settlement sanctions

Israel ordered the immediate closure of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem on Tuesday, enacting diplomatic countermeasures after the United Kingdom spearheaded a 12-nation Western coalition imposing import bans and trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

AFP WORLD
Published September 08,2026 06:27 PM
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Israel on Tuesday ordered the closure of Britain's consulate in Jerusalem as retaliation after London led Western sanctions over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

"The accusations made today by the foreign secretary in the British Parliament were outrageous lies," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, after his counterpart Ed Miliband accused Israeli settlers of "ethnic cleansing" in the occupied West Bank.