Britain's east Jerusalem consulate is downgraded to a mission in dispute with Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Thursday that the British Consulate in east Jerusalem has “ceased to function” in that capacity and that 20 staffers will leave the country, deepening the biggest diplomatic rift between the close allies in decades.

The sign outside the consulate was taken down, but Britain said the building remains open and a core staff will continue to deliver “vital services” and work with Palestinians. The U.K. government said it would not retaliate by expelling Israeli diplomats as it seeks to rebuild its staff.

The dispute began last month when the United Kingdom banned trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations and much of the international community consider all settlements as illegal.

“Israel will no longer turn its cheek to diplomatic attacks against it," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement, adding that the building would continue to operate with a “task force” of seven diplomats and a “very limited” scope of activity. Twenty British diplomats will leave Israel, including the consul general.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in a statement that the building "will be known as the U.K. Mission, Jerusalem” after discussions with Israel’s government, and a small team of diplomats would continue to operate there.

“This will ensure that we maintain our longstanding British presence and the U.K.’s role in support of a two-state solution,” Miliband added.

Britain had threatened to expel Israeli diplomats if the consulate was closed, but said it would not do so for now because it's in talks with Israel about expanding the mission.

“We will work in the coming months to build back up our presence,” Miliband said.

Meanwhile, “our diplomats are going to be able to carry out their important work in relation to, for example, relations with the Palestinians, but also supporting British nationals visiting the area,” Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty told Times Radio.

Miliband made clear that Britain does “not accept that the government of Israel has the legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has been there for nearly 200 years.”

The foreign secretary added that the U.K. government reiterates its view that east Jerusalem "is occupied territory."

The U.K. and Israel continue to have close defense and security cooperation, but diplomatic relations have deteriorated over Israel’s conduct of the war with the Hamas militant group in Gaza and Britain’s decision last year to recognize a Palestinian state.

Last month’s announcement of the ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank marked a significant toughening of Britain’s stance toward a longtime ally.

Doughty, the Middle East minister, said the U.K. has “a strong and ongoing relationship with Israel.”

Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state. Since then, the Israeli government has built scores of settlements that are home to well over 500,000 Jewish settlers. Many settlements resemble fully developed suburbs.

The current government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most nationalist and religious in Israel’s history, views the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and sees the settlements as key to maintaining security.

Lawless reported from London.

A car enters the British Consulate after the sign outside the consulate was taken down, in east Jerusalem, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Barricades block the main road leading to British Consulate after the sign outside the consulate was taken down, in east Jerusalem, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Main entrance to the British Consulate is seen after the sign outside the consulate was taken down, in east Jerusalem, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Barricades block the main road leading to British Consulate after the sign outside the consulate was taken down, in east Jerusalem, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Thousands of supporters of India’s youth “Cockroach” movement and several student groups demonstrated in the southern city of Bengaluru on Thursday, stepping up a nationwide campaign that is demanding the election chief’s resignation over a revision of voter lists that has removed over 130 million people from the rolls.

The demonstration in Bengaluru came a day after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police at a protest in New Delhi. Dramatic images of police dragging Gandhi into a vehicle spread widely on social media, adding momentum to the protests calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Gandhi’s Congress party has called for more protests in New Delhi later Thursday.

The nationwide voter list review, known as the Special Intensive Revision, has been carried out in most of India’s states and federally administered territories. More than 130 million names have been removed so far, a number larger than the populations of countries like Japan and Mexico. Millions of people have appealed the deletions.

The opposition says the removals have disproportionately affected voters who support them, while voters more likely to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party have been preserved or added to the lists. The Election Commission and the government reject the allegations, saying the revision is aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible entries.

Those whose names have been struck off the list can appeal, but getting back on the rolls can be difficult. Critics say the requirements are confusing and some people may not have required documents such as older government records.

The anger intensified last month following an investigation by the Indian Express newspaper that found two election commissioners had raised concerns about the process.

The campaign has been led in part by the “Cockroach” movement, which began as an online youth campaign in May and has since organized street protests across the country. Its earlier nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes over exam paper leaks led to the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July.

Protesters are demanding Kumar’s resignation and an end to the removals, warning that they could disenfranchise millions more voters.

The rallies pose a political challenge to Modi midway through his third term, as opposition parties seek to turn growing anger into a broader national campaign. Opposition leader Gandhi is also emerging as a prominent face of the protest.

The “Cockroach” movement has called for more protests in New Delhi starting Saturday, with thousands expected to march to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest site. Police barricaded the area ahead of the demonstrations.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

A security person keeps vigil from the rooftop of a building as members of the student wing of India's Congress party and other protesters gather to start a march demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Members of the student wing of India's Congress party and other protesters gather to start a march demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Members of the student wing of India's Congress party and other protesters gather to start a march demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Indian influencer and activist Dhruv Rathee, second left, Indian actor Prakash Raj, fourth left, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, fifth left and other supporters join hands during a protest demanding the resignation of the country's election chief Gyanesh Kumar, in Bengaluru, India, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)