Most UK diplomats to leave East Jerusalem consulate, Israel says, as Miliband says 'vital services' to remain

Image source, Reuters By Adam Goldsmith and James Landale , Diplomatic correspondent Published 8 October 2026, 07:35 BST Updated 1 hour ago Most diplomats will leave the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel says, but the UK insists the building "will not be closing", and will operate as a "UK Mission". "We did not want it to come to this," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on social media, as he said 20 diplomats and the consul general would leave Israel while a task force of seven could remain in the building "with a very limited scope of activity".