Israel Plans to Close UK Consulate in East Jerusalem, Legal Adviser Says It Cannot

Israel says it will close the British consulate in East Jerusalem on 8 October, after the UK banned trade with goods from Israeli settlements. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve has advised the Foreign Office that Israel has no legal right to do so, because most states, including the UK, treat East Jerusalem as occupied territory. The dispute puts Jerusalem's final status back at the centre of international diplomacy, a city Scripture treats as the focal point of the nations' final reckoning (Zechariah 12:3).