Jerusalem: Most diplomats have left the UK consulate after “it ended operations” in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel said on Thursday, October 8, while Britain maintained that its “mission” will remain to work with the Palestinians.

UK Foreign Minister said the consulate building will now serve as the "UK Mission" and deliver vital services to the Palestinian people.

The UK consulate building in occupied Jerusalem will not shut down; instead, it will operate as the “UK Mission” from today, said UK Foreign Minister Ed Miliband. He reiterated the British government’s “long-standing” view that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.

“The UK Mission is independent, operational and will continue to deliver vital services and work with the Palestinian people,” the minister said. Miliband clarified that the UK temporarily withdrew some staff and families from the city to ensure safety and security.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the UK consulate is “ending its activities today” and that it will “continue operating under a limited capacity, and the signage on the consulate building has been removed accordingly.”

“We did not want it to reach this point,” Saar said on social media, adding that 20 diplomats, along with the Consul General, would be leaving Israel. A task force of seven members would remain in the consulate building “with a very limited scope of activity.”

The move comes nearly a month after the UK announced sanctions on West Bank settlements in September, banning the import of goods from the occupied Palestinian territories and declaring it illegal.

Israeli Minister Sa’ar said that since the British consulate ended its operations, the sign of the British Consulate in Jerusalem has been removed accordingly. He said the UK’s recent decision is part of a series to initiate sanctions against the communities in Judea and Samaria. He added that such actions were accompanied by “hostile rhetoric” accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.

“Their latest decision in this series was to initiate a range of far-reaching sanctions against the communities in Judea and Samaria, as well as additional sanctions on defence exports to Israel. All this was accompanied by hostile rhetoric, including false accusations against Israel, such as accusations of “ethnic cleansing.”