BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has announced that Israel will close the British consulate in East Jerusalem following London’s decision to impose sanctions on goods originating from Israeli settlements.
Saar said the consulate, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, would be closed as part of Israel’s response to the British measures.
He also announced additional steps against Britain, saying London would no longer be permitted to participate in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza operating in Israel. British training programmes for Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank would also be terminated.
Saar further said some elected British officials and other foreign nationals would be barred from entering Israel.
He described Britain’s decision as “morally distorted” and accused London of interfering in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process.
The Israeli foreign minister also rejected statements previously made by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, describing them as false and unacceptable.
Saar said he had coordinated the measures with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The move comes ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election, which is scheduled to take place in late October, and marks a further deterioration in relations between Israel and Britain.
