Israel says it will close British consulate in East Jerusalem

Israel has said it will close the British consulate in East Jerusalem in response to plans by the United Kingdom, France and Canada to block imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Cyprus Mail reports, citing Reuters. Additional restrictions Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said that the United Kingdom would no longer participate in the U.S.-led coordination mission on Gaza. According to him, Israel will also ban some British officials and other UK citizens from entering the country. The British consulate in East Jerusalem is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Saar said he had coordinated Israel's response with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Elections are due to take place in Israel at the end of October. More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram. Positions on settlements Saar called London's move morally distorted and an interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process. He also described statements by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband as 'outrageous lies.' The proposed trade restrictions by the United Kingdom, France and Canada were another step against Israel's settlement policy. A broader group of states said on the same day that it was prepared to take further measures to protect the two-state solution — a Palestinian state peacefully coexisting with Israel. Miliband said that the United Kingdom must counter the expansion of settlements because, in his view, it threatens the viability of a Palestinian state. The UN, Palestinians and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law, while Israel disagrees. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said that West Bank settlements significantly undermine the prospects for long-term peace based on the two-state solution. Read us on Telegram and Sends Download our app