Updated

Relations between the UK and Israel deteriorated on multiple fronts. The UK reportedly threatened to expel 27 Israeli diplomats unless Israel reverses its closure of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem—a move Israel made in retaliation for a UK ban on trade with Israeli settlements. Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, urged Britain to defy the closure order, calling it 'illegal.' Separately, an investigation detailed how the UK Foreign Office allegedly shielded Israel from accountability over Gaza war crimes to keep British arms exports flowing. Tensions were compounded when the UK Green Party voted at its Brighton conference to declare 'Zionism is racism,' prompting Israel to ban Green Party leader Zack Polanski from entering the country, accusing the party of legitimising the 'destruction of the State of Israel.' The episodes together reflect a broader rupture in UK-Israel relations over Gaza policy, settlements, and arms sales.