Ex-UK Attorney General Challenges Israel’s Consulate Closure Plan
Grieve, who served as attorney general from 2010 to 2014, argued that the consulate’s location in East Jerusalem places it in territory regarded by the UN and most member states, including the UK, as occupied Palestinian territory, according to reports.
Israel has announced plans to close the consulate on Oct. 8 following Britain’s decision to impose a broad ban on trade in goods originating from Israeli settlements, a measure announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband earlier this month.
Grieve called on the British government to contest the closure through legal channels, arguing that Israel was claiming sovereign authority over East Jerusalem that, in his assessment, an occupying power does not hold.
“Retaining a consulate general in East Jerusalem after recognition of the state of Palestine preserves the UK’s position that Jerusalem’s final status remains to be determined. It does not concede Israeli sovereignty,” Grieve said.
UK Foreign Office Minister Lord Wood told the House of Lords that Grieve’s argument could have merit, but cautioned that Israel might still “de facto” render the consulate unable to operate.
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