UK to expel Israeli diplomats if East Jerusalem consulate is closed

The United Kingdom says it will expel 27 Israeli diplomats and their families in response to an Israeli order to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, according to Reuters sources cited by the Jerusalem Post. Talks between UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and Israeli officials failed to produce a deal to keep the consulate open. The dispute shows Europe's diplomatic pressure on Israel hardening over the status of Jerusalem, a city Scripture treats as central to the nations' final reckoning (Zechariah 12:3).