LONDON/TEL AVIV/PARIS, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Israel said on Tuesday it was closing Britain’s consulate in East Jerusalem in response to plans by the UK, France and Canada to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Britain will also no longer participate in a US-led coordination mission for Gaza and some British officials and other nationals will be banned from entering Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.
“The British move is morally distorted, and constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process,” he said, describing comments by Foreign Minister Ed Miliband as accusations that were “outrageous lies”.
The British consulate in East Jerusalem is accredited to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Saar said that he had coordinated Israel’s response with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel will hold an election in late October.
