SAFA — Britain has warned that it could expel 27 Israeli diplomats from London if Israel proceeds with plans to close the British Consulate General in occupied East Jerusalem, as a deepening dispute over Israeli settlements pushes relations between the two countries toward a major diplomatic confrontation.

The warning comes as the U.K. intensifies last-minute efforts to prevent the closure before a Thursday deadline imposed by the Israeli government.

Reuters reported Monday, citing three people familiar with the discussions, that British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell made an undisclosed visit to Israel last week for talks with senior Israeli officials aimed at finding a compromise that would keep the consulate open.

Those discussions have so far failed to produce an agreement, and the prospects of a breakthrough before the deadline appear slim.

Reuters reported Tuesday that Britain is likely to retaliate by expelling an equivalent number of Israeli diplomatic staff if the closure goes ahead.

Separately, Israeli news site Ynet reported that London had delivered a more explicit warning to Israeli officials through British Ambassador Simon Walters: if Israel forces the East Jerusalem consulate to close, Britain would expel 27 diplomats serving at the Israeli Embassy in London.

The measure would amount to one Israeli diplomat expelled for each British diplomat whose work in East Jerusalem is terminated, according to people familiar with the message cited by Ynet.

Such a move could severely disrupt the operations of Israel’s embassy in London, which has only slightly more than 27 diplomats.

Israel currently has no ambassador in place in Britain following the return of Tzipi Hotovely to Israel in September 2025. The embassy is being headed by chargé d’affaires Chris Cantor.

The British Embassy declined to comment on the reported threat.

Israel, however, has publicly signaled that it intends to proceed with the closure. A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Reuters that the consulate would close Thursday as previously announced.

Israel announced the measure on September 8 after Britain, alongside France and Canada, moved to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and introduced sanctions targeting individuals and companies linked to settlement activity.

Israel gave Britain 30 days to close the East Jerusalem mission and withdraw its diplomats.

The measures were announced amid growing British criticism of Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. London considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law and says their continued expansion is undermining Palestinian rights and the prospects of a Palestinian state.

Sa’ar condemned the British measures and accused London of interfering in Israeli affairs ahead of the country’s October 27 election.

Israel’s retaliatory measures went beyond the East Jerusalem consulate. They also included removing British representatives from an international Gaza coordination center, ending British involvement in training Palestinian Authority security forces in the occupied West Bank, and barring a number of British politicians and other nationals from entering Israel.

According to Ynet, dozens of Palestinian employees working at the British consulate have already been dismissed, while British diplomats are preparing to leave ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

The closure would mark a major break with nearly two centuries of British diplomatic presence in Jerusalem.

The British Consulate General operates separately from the British Embassy to Israel and serves as Britain’s diplomatic mission in its dealings with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Its location in East Jerusalem also carries significant political importance.

Britain does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem as a whole and maintains that the city’s final status must be determined through negotiations. East Jerusalem is regarded by Britain, the United Nations and most of the international community as occupied Palestinian territory.

The escalating confrontation has therefore grown beyond a dispute over the operation of a diplomatic mission.

Israel’s decision to close the consulate followed Britain’s attempt to increase pressure over settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. London’s threatened response, potentially removing 27 Israeli diplomats, now raises the prospect of one of the most serious diplomatic ruptures between Britain and Israel in decades.