Exclusive: UK consul-general to Palestine set to leave Jerusalem before Israel's closure deadline

Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 10/07/2026 - 10:43 The closure of the nearly 200-year-old British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem would likely be permanent, absent a change of government in Israel

The British consulate in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem on 7 October 2026 (Peter Oborne/MEE) Off

The British consul-general to Palestine is expected to leave Jerusalem in compliance with Israel’s order to close the British consulate before Thursday's deadline, Middle East Eye has learnt.

Once British diplomats have left occupied Palestine, they will not be able to re-enter without Israeli permission. The closure of the nearly 200-year-old consulate in East Jerusalem will likely be permanent, absent a change of government in Israel.

British Consul-General Helen Winterton is expected to work with her team from Oman in the hope of returning to Jerusalem when possible, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced the order to close the British consulate last month in retaliation against the UK’s move to ban trade with Israeli settlements. Winterton is set to leave by Thursday, which Saar set as the deadline for the consulate's closure.

MEE visited the consulate on Wednesday afternoon and asked a security supervisor if the consul-general has left.

The supervisor replied: "I am sorry, but I cannot give you any information."

Meanwhile the Foreign Office did not respond to MEE's inquiry.

The revelation that Winterton is due to leave Jerusalem will put an end to speculation that the UK might defy the Israeli government and keep the consulate open.

Israeli media reported earlier this week that Britain was preparing to expel Israeli diplomats and their families from London in retaliation for the closure. The Foreign Office refused to comment on the claims, and government sources told MEE on Tuesday that discussions were ongoing.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the government was “looking at all our options” in an interview last week.

Of the prospect of the consulate in East Jerusalem closing, he insisted: “We do not want this to happen - because it would damage the very important work that we are doing helping people in those communities, including Palestinians.

“The consulate has been there for nearly 200 years, and this is a long-standing position that we have had.”

MEE understands that Britain's decision was being watched closely by other consulates, including France and Spain, which fear they will be next to be forced out if the British quit.

Britain has two diplomatic missions to Israel and Palestine: the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate to Palestinians, based in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where Palestinian residents have faced years of threats of eviction and settlement expansion.

Further isolating Palestinians

Many Palestinians have told MEE of the importance of the work of the British consulate in providing witness to human rights abuses and reporting them back to London in a way that the British embassy in Tel Aviv cannot.

Significantly, earlier this month the Labour government officially recognised Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory as illegal, bringing its position in line with the International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion in 2024.

'[The closure of the British consulate] is a further attack on the Palestinian community and will severely impact the UK's relationship with them'

- Richard Sewell, dean of St George’s College Jerusalem

Former British Attorney General Dominic Grieve KC wrote in a legal opinion last week that Israel has made “an unlawful assertion of sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory. Successive British governments have affirmed that Israel’s rights in East Jerusalem are limited to those of an occupying power”.

On Monday, Emily Thornberry, chair of parliament’s influential Foreign Affairs Committee, told MEE: “I hope that Israel will not go through with the closure of a consulate which has served Britons and Palestinians since 1838. Britain should not allow Israel to do this.”

And Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party, told MEE last week: “East Jerusalem is illegally occupied Palestinian territory, and Israel has no sovereignty over it. The UK must ignore Israel’s order and keep the British Consulate open.”

The Green leader pointed out that the “consulate is also a vital diplomatic link between Britain and Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza”.

He said that “closing it would further isolate Palestinians and weaken Britain’s ability to engage with them directly”.

Prayers were said in the Anglican cathedral in East Jerusalem on Sunday morning that the consulate could be saved. Special mention was made of the welfare of Palestinian staff, many of whom are certain to lose their jobs if the consulate is closed.

Richard Sewell, the dean of St George’s College Jerusalem, told MEE that he was “really disturbed by the prospect of the imminent closure of the British consulate. It is a further attack on the Palestinian community and will severely impact the UK's relationship with them”.

The dean warned that closure “will also impact UK nationals living in East Jerusalem as well as British pilgrims, and visitors to Jerusalem”.

UK Politics Peter Oborne Jerusalem News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0