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ReutersThe British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem is ending its operations, with 20 diplomats set to leave Israel, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
“We did not want it to come to this,” Saar wrote on social media, as he said 20 diplomats and the Consul General would leave Israel while a task force of seven could remain in the building “with a very limited scope of activity”.
However, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said some staff had been “temporarily withdrawn” for security reasons, but stressed the building “will not be closing” and the remaining staff will “be known as the UK Mission” and will ” work with the Palestinian people”.
Israel said in September it would shut the consulate, in retaliation for UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank which are illegal under international law.
