Israel announces closure of UK consulate in Jerusalem in response to sanctions over West Bank settlements

Israel announced on Tuesday that it will close the United Kingdom consulate in Jerusalem in response to sanctions over West Bank settlements in retaliation for London leading Western sanctions over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in West Bank.UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband had accused Israeli “terrorists” of "ethnic cleansing" in West Bank. (Reuters/AP)"The accusations made today by the foreign secretary in the British Parliament were outrageous lies," said Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said."The British move is morally distorted and constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its electoral process," Saar said.This comes over a month ahead of October 27 elections in Israel in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is campaigning on his support for settlements in the West Bank.Saar announced that Britain's consulate in East Jerusalem will be closed, which is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in West Bank.Apart from closure of the UK consulate, Israeli foreign minister also said that now, Britain would no longer be allowed to participate in the US-led coordination mission for Gaza and that some elected British officials and other nationals would also be barred from entering Israel.UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband had accused Israeli “terrorists” of "ethnic cleansing" in West Bank. He also said that the UK government would officially recognise Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as unlawful in its entirety, calling the move “the least the people who face such suffering deserve” and saying it should “be the prelude to justice.”