Israel informed the British Consulate in East Jerusalem that it must close, while the diplomats assigned there will lose their accreditation within 30 days, according to an Israeli official and an informed source.<\/p>\n
The source explained that British representatives participating in a U.S.-led coordination mission regarding Gaza in Israel, as well as British diplomats based in Ramallah, will have to leave the country within 7 days.<\/p>\n
The Israeli move came after Britain announced a ban on the import of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, along with the implementation of a comprehensive sanctions regime.<\/p>\n
British Foreign Secretary \u201cEd Miliband\u201d accused the Israeli government of \u201cturning a blind eye\u201d to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, stressing that London considers the Israeli occupation illegal.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiliband\u201d said that proposals related to the \u201cE1\u201d settlement project aim to impose a reality that would make a two-state solution unviable, stressing that ensuring the solution in its entirety represents the \u201ccompass\u201d guiding the British government\u2019s policy.<\/p>\n
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister \u201cGideon Sa\u2019ar\u201d described his British counterpart\u2019s accusations as \u201cshameful and false,\u201d threatening to respond to the sanctions announced by London.<\/p>\n
Sa\u2019ar said the British measures represent \u201cblatant interference\u201d in the upcoming Israeli elections, without specifying the nature of the anticipated response.<\/p>\n
In the same context, the Palestinian presidency welcomed Britain\u2019s decision to ban the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while Israel condemned the move and vowed to respond.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Palestinian presidency praised the decision by 12 countries, including Britain and France, to impose sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements, describing the move as \u201cimportant\u201d in confronting the settlement system and holding Israeli officials accountable.<\/p>\n
The presidency said it welcomed British Foreign Secretary \u201cEd Miliband\u2019s\u201d announcement before the House of Commons of the government\u2019s decision to ban imports of products from Israeli settlements established on the land of the occupied State of Palestine, and to impose sanctions on extremist settlers.<\/p>\n
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