On Sunday, the right-wing newspaper “Israel Hayom” revealed the content of the agreement concluded by Israel and Britain after the crisis of the Israeli decision to stop the work of the British consulate concerned with Palestinian affairs in Jerusalem.
The newspaper reported that Britain backed down from imposing measures against Israel and expelling Israeli diplomats from Britain. Because “the security services in London warned the government of the danger of deepening the crisis, and they informed the government that Israel is threatening to cut off security cooperation with British intelligence, and this is causing serious harm to national security,” according to the Hebrew report.
Last Thursday, Britain announced that its consulate in Jerusalem, which began its activities there about 200 years ago, will continue its work on a smaller scale, and will henceforth be known as the “British Mission” in the city, after Israel ordered its closure in the midst of a dispute over sanctions imposed on the settlements.
The Israeli newspaper, which is close to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed that “In recent weeks, Israel has transferred very sensitive intelligence information, thanks to which it was able to thwart Palestinian and Iranian terrorist operations in Britain, including the military base that houses American fighter planes.” Thanks to this information, several terrorist operations that terrorist cells were planning on British soil were thwarted, and this matter was resolved by preventing escalation and reaching understandings, through which Israel also backed down from its harsh conditions.”
The agreement included that the British consul who handles Palestinian affairs, along with 20 diplomats, would leave Israel, but the British Consulate General building in East Jerusalem would remain open and continue to operate under the name “British Mission,” providing specific services to the Palestinians. As for the rest of the services, consular services would be reduced in this headquarters, which would be provided to the Palestinians through the British Consulate in Jordan, to which the majority of diplomats who left Jerusalem arrived. The newspaper says that London and Tel Aviv are continuing the dialogue about the problem.
Last month, Israel ordered the closure of the British Consulate within 30 days and the expulsion of diplomats working there from Jerusalem, in response to London’s announcement of imposing sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including a trade ban on goods produced there. Despite Britain's efforts to keep the consulate open, including sending the British National Security Advisor to Israel last week for talks, the Israeli government stuck to the decision to close.
The British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem dates back about 200 years, that is, before the establishment of Israel in 1948. The decision to close does not include the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, which manages diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel.
The consulate is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, which is witnessing a fierce settlement attack. Coinciding with the expiration of the deadline, sources quoted by Reuters reported that Britain was considering the possibility of expelling Israeli diplomats from the Israeli embassy in London, in response to the closure of its consulate in East Jerusalem. However, as political sources in Tel Aviv indicate, it backed down and reached understandings with Tel Aviv that would lead to reducing the status of the consulate in Jerusalem and increasing the burden on Palestinian citizens who need its services.
