Israel expels 20 British diplomats and plans to close the nearly 200-year-old consulate. The scene at the scene is thought-provoking

In the early morning of October 8, local time in Israel, the door sign of the British Consulate in Jerusalem in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem was quietly taken down overnight, just before the ultimatum given by Israel expired.

But the flag upstairs was not lowered.

On the same day, two official statements appeared at the same time. Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar announced that the consulate would cease operations and 20 British diplomats, including the consul general, would leave their posts.

British Foreign Secretary Miliband responded: "Not accepted", and the consulate was simply "renamed" to the British Mission in Jerusalem and continued to operate.

A consulate that had existed for nearly 200 years was "downgraded" in this way. But it predates the founding of the state of Israel by more than a century.

A piece of sanctions, a 30-day countdown

The trigger for the entire incident was: On September 8, the United Kingdom announced a ban on the import of goods from settlements in the West Bank, and the foreign ministers of 12 countries including France and Canada issued a joint statement on the same day.

In the face of sanctions, Israel responded strongly: closing its consulate within 30 days, expelling British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center, stopping British training of Palestinian security forces, and banning the entry of 12 British officials.

Within 30 days, the British Prime Minister's National Security Advisor Powell secretly visited Israel to mediate, but no results were achieved.

Until October 5, Israel announced that it would be closed as scheduled.

The house number has been taken off, but the steps are still there

When the deadline comes on October 8th, both parties will read their own papers. The Israeli side emphasized that "diplomatic institutions ceased operations, which is a closure"; the British side emphasized that "the people are still there, the services are still there, they just changed their names."

But the "mutual steps" are also hidden in the details: the consulate building is owned by the British, and the Israeli side agreed to the British side setting up a working group, but only seven diplomats were left, and the scope of activities was "very limited." 20 people left and 7 stayed, and the British ground presence in Jerusalem continued.

While Saar said that "British-Israeli relations are very important," he left a harsh message: "I cannot guarantee that there will not be a greater crisis in the future."

Miliband promised to strive to restore the diplomatic presence in the coming months.

The cracks are more than just a house sign

In fact, British-Israeli relations have been cooling for three consecutive years: sanctions on people and entities related to settlements, restrictions on arms exports, and recognition of the Palestinian state.

Israel believes that these measures harm its own interests and accuses the UK of interfering in its internal affairs.

The deeper differences are on the ground - Britain insists that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory and supports the "two-state solution"; after Israel occupied it in 1967, it unilaterally declared the entire city to be a "permanent and indivisible capital", which has not been generally recognized by the international community.

The question of whether the consulate should exist or not is stuck at this point of disagreement. Therefore, the current situation seems more like a firefight with precisely controlled intensity: sanctions first, retaliation later, and finally each side takes a step back.

Saar's statement that "there is no guarantee that there will not be a greater crisis in the future" is still hanging. Whether the UK-Israel rift will continue to widen depends on whether the UK can fulfill its "next few months" plan, and whether the settlement issue will be detonated again.

Author: Wang Xi