Most diplomats will leave the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, Israel says, but the UK insists the building "will not be closing" and will operate as a "UK Mission".
"We did not want it to come to this," Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on social media, as he said 20 diplomats and the consul general would leave while a task force of seven could remain in the building "with a very limited scope of activity".
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband responded that some staff had been "temporarily withdrawn" for security reasons, and stressed the mission would continue "our work with the Palestinian people".
Israel said in September it would shut the consulate in retaliation for UK sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law. The new steps appear to prevent the diplomatic row between two allies from escalating further.
The British consulate, which was founded in 1838, handles UK relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem as well as in the West Bank and Gaza.
It is distinct from the UK embassy in Tel Aviv, which is the UK's main diplomatic hub with Israel and is not affected.
Israel's foreign minister said it had implemented the order to shut the consulate within 30 days, which was one of a series of measures announced on 8 September in response to the UK's sanctions.
"The British Consulate in Jerusalem is closing its operations today. Accordingly, the sign of the British Consulate in Jerusalem has been removed," Saar posted on X.
FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw33xd6vegnno
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