Palestinian Foreign Ministry rejects Israeli measures against British consulate in Jerusalem

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned and rejected what it described as illegal Israeli decisions and measures targeting the British Consulate General in Jerusalem and its staff.

In a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the ministry said the measures were “an attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied city, interfere in the work of diplomatic missions and their relations with the State of Palestine, and punish the United Kingdom for its positions in support of the rights of the Palestinian people and a two-state solution based on international law”.

It stressed that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 and the capital of the State of Palestine. Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty over the city and has no right to alter its legal and historical status or impose unilateral measures targeting the international diplomatic presence there, the ministry said.

The ministry also stressed the United Kingdom’s right to continue operating its consulate general in Jerusalem, maintain its historic presence and play an independent role in serving the Palestinian people and strengthening bilateral relations with the State of Palestine.

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