Updated

Israel ordered the closure of Britain's historic consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, acting on a threat made in September in response to UK sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements; signage was removed overnight ahead of the deadline. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Britain does not accept Israel has the legal authority to shut the nearly 200-year-old mission and announced it will be renamed a 'UK Mission' while retaining services for Palestinians, rather than fully withdrawing diplomats. Israel's foreign minister further claimed it had frozen 'military dialogue and security cooperation' with the UK, though British officials gave evasive responses. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham separately criticized the Green Party's motion declaring 'Zionism is racism' as showing 'terrible judgement,' amid broader strain in UK-Israel relations recalling historical tensions dating back to the King David Hotel bombing.