According to a report by The Guardian in the UK on September 28th, former British Attorney General Dominic Greeff provided legal advice to the UK Foreign Office, stating that Israel has no legal right to implement plans to close the British Consulate in Jerusalem.
Israel has announced plans to close its consulate on October 8 in response to a comprehensive trade ban on goods from Israeli settlements announced by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband this month.
Griff stated that Israel has no right to close the consulate, as it is located in East Jerusalem. The United Nations and most of its member states—including the UK—recognize East Jerusalem as an occupied Palestinian territory.
When former British ambassador Hanneley questioned the legality of Israeli actions in the House of Lords, Deputy Foreign Minister Wood stated that he was concerned that Israel might render that consulate 'in fact impossible to operate'.
Griv stated that Britain should challenge this decision in court, and argue that Israel is claiming rights that it does not possess as an occupying nation, namely the right to exercise sovereignty control over East Jerusalem.
The Guardian reports that the British mission in Jerusalem was established in 1838, more than 100 years before Israel was founded. It operates independently from the embassy in Tel Aviv. The consulate reports directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has its own staff, and plays a unique diplomatic role. Its responsibilities include Jerusalem, other areas in the West Bank, and Gaza.
Griff stated that the British government has the responsibility to oppose this action. He pointed out that the British government has officially accepted the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in July 2024, which states that countries should recognize Israel’s presence on the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal.
Apart from legal considerations, Griffith also stated that closing the consulate was not solely directed at the United Kingdom but aimed to suppress Palestinians as well because this would hinder aid, monitoring, and reporting on the West Bank of Jordan and Gaza.
He said, “Israel’s strategy in the region has always been to create faits accomplis through illegal settlement construction and property seizures, forcing nations to acknowledge these facts on the diplomatic stage. Closing the embassy should be questioned because it represents a blatant act of exceeding authority.”
Regarding the closure of the consulate, Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Mordechai Salman claimed that Israel has sovereignty over the entire city of Jerusalem. However, the United Nations Security Council has clearly stated that Israel does not possess such sovereignty.
Israel's military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza means that diplomats must obtain Israeli certification in order to operate in Palestine.
