Britain just threatened to expel Israeli diplomats over a consulate
Britain just told Israel something serious.
If Israel shuts down the British consulate in East Jerusalem this week, Britain will expel 27 Israeli diplomats. Their families too.
Two people with knowledge of the talks told the Jerusalem Post and Reuters this afternoon that senior British officials made that threat clear to Israel in recent days.
Neither government has confirmed it on the record.
A UK government spokesperson had no immediate comment. A spokesperson for Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's Foreign Minister, told Reuters the consulate would close on Thursday, as planned.
So what's this consulate, and why does it matter?
It sits in Sheikh Jarrah, in East Jerusalem. It handles Britain's relations with Palestinians there, in the West Bank, and in Gaza.
Gideon Sa'ar ordered it shut a month ago. He gave Britain 30 days.
That deadline runs out in three days, on 8 October.
Jonathan Powell is Britain's National Security Adviser. He flew to Israel last week to try to stop this.
He failed. No deal.
And Britain's government said nothing about that visit until it came out today.
Ynetnews reports that Simon Walters, Britain's ambassador to Israel, personally delivered the expulsion warning. Reuters and the Jerusalem Post have not confirmed that detail.
Two people with knowledge of the talks told Reuters the talks are still going. But a deal before Thursday is unlikely.
So why is Israel closing the consulate at all?
Because of what Britain did a month ago.
Ed Miliband, Britain's Foreign Secretary, announced a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. He said there was what he called ethnic cleansing of Palestinians happening there.
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