Israel Closes British Consulate in East Jerusalem After Bans on Settlement Goods

Britain, France and Canada have banned imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This means their companies cannot buy goods or use some services from there. Israeli settlements are communities that Israel has built on land most countries see as Palestinian. Within hours, Israel answered by ordering the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. A consulate is an office that represents a country in another country.

The three Western countries say the settlements are illegal and make it harder to create a separate Palestinian state. Britain's Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, told Parliament that settlers had forced Palestinian families from their homes. He called this "ethnic cleansing." Ethnic cleansing means removing a group of people from their land. The British ban covers goods such as dates, vegetables and wine, and some services. Because most settlement products are farm products, the effect on trade is expected to be small, but the political message is strong.

Israel called the ban unfair and said Britain was interfering, or getting involved, in Israeli affairs. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the consulate would close. British help for training Palestinian security forces, meaning police and soldiers, would end, and several British members of parliament, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, would not be allowed into Israel. Israel treats Jerusalem as its capital, but most countries say East Jerusalem has been occupied since 1967.

The United States says it will not join the ban. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the new measures. The dispute shows that Western countries are now divided over how to answer Israel's building of more settlements.