Israel announced that the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem would be shut in retaliation for UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The UK insists that staff have been temporarily withdrawn for security reasons but that the mission will continue to operate and serve the Palestinian people.
About 20 diplomats and the Consul General are slated to leave, while a small task force may remain in the building to carry out limited duties.
"We did not want it to come to this," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on social media, while UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband emphasised that the mission will work with the Palestinian community.
The move heightens tensions between the UK and Israel over settlement policy and marks a symbolic escalation in the broader conflict over Jerusalem’s status.
