UK consulate in East Jerusalem strips its signage as Israeli closure deadline expires

Israel's deadline for closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem has passed, with workers removing its signage amid a diplomatic row over settlement sanctions.

• Workers removed a plaque reading "British Consulate General" and a consular-section sign, though the UK flag remained flying.
• Thursday marked 30 days since Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure in response to UK sanctions on West Bank settlements.
• The UK threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats if the closure proceeds, according to unverified Israeli media reports.
• The consulate, which handles UK relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, has not commented.
• Israeli banks fear new British sanctions over their role in financing settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
• National security adviser Jonathan Powell visited Israel to avert the closure, but Israel insists on proceeding with it.
• Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the consulate building will not close but will be renamed a UK mission, remaining independent and operational.
• Miliband said some staff and families have been withdrawn, but the UK will not take reciprocal action against Israel while talks continue.
• Saar announced 20 diplomats and the Consul General would depart while a small task force could remain with limited scope.
• Miliband said staff were temporarily withdrawn for security reasons but the mission would continue to work with the Palestinian people.
• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's consulate measures as an illegal attempt to impose sovereignty over East Jerusalem.