Former attorney general Dominic Grieve has advised the UK Foreign Office that Israel does not have a legal right to proceed with its plan to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem. Israel has stated its intention to shut the consulate on 8 October.
This move by Israel is in response to the sweeping ban on trade with goods from Israeli settlements, which was announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband this month. Grieve, who served as attorney general from 2010 to 2014, stated that Israel does not have the right to close the consulate because it is located in East Jerusalem, which is recognised by the United Nations and most of its members, including the UK, as occupied Palestinian territory.
Grieve argues that the UK should challenge this decision in the courts, asserting that Israel is claiming a right it does not possess as an occupying power to impose sovereign control over East Jerusalem. He also noted that the closure of the consulate would impact Palestinians by hindering aid, oversight, and reporting from the West Bank and Gaza.
The UK mission in Jerusalem was established in 1838, predating the creation of the state of Israel by over a century. It operates separately from the embassy in Tel Aviv, with the consul general reporting directly to the Foreign Office and having a distinct diplomatic role covering Jerusalem, the rest of the West Bank, and Gaza.