作者：艾丽莎·奥登海默。由于英国对约旦河西岸犹太人定居点实施贸易制裁引发争议，英国驻耶路撒冷领事馆的地位现被降级为普通使团。
By Alisa Odenheimer The UK’s consulate in Jerusalem is being downgraded in status to a mission, following a dispute related to British trade sanctions against Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
据英国外交大臣埃德·米利班德透露，经与以色列方面协商，位于耶路撒冷的英国总领事馆大楼不会关闭，但今后将改称为英国使团。他还表示，为保障人员安全，英国已暂时撤回部分工作人员及其家属。
The UK’s Consulate General building in Jerusalem will not be closing but instead be known as the UK Mission following discussions with Israel, according to a statement by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. He said the UK has temporarily withdrawn a number of staff and families to ensure their safety and security.
此前以色列曾威胁要关闭该领事馆，如今虽对结果不尽满意，但也表示：“工党政府的所作所为导致了这一局面。”以色列外交部长吉迪恩·萨阿尔强调：“我们确立了明确原则：任何针对以色列的行动都将招致相应的反制措施。”
Israel said it wished for a different outcome, after threatening to close the consulate, but that “the actions of the Labour government have led us to this point.”“We establish a clear principle: actions taken against Israel will be met with appropriate countermeasures,” Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.
今年9月8日，以色列宣布因英国禁止进口来自约旦河西岸犹太人定居点的商品，决定关闭位于东耶路撒冷的英国领事馆。萨阿尔还将英国的举措斥为“带有敌意的行径”，指责其散布诸如‘以色列实施种族清洗’之类的不实指控。
Israel said on Sept. 8 that it would shutter the consulate in East Jerusalem following the UK’s decision to ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Sa’ar described the UK’s actions as “hostile rhetoric, including false accusations against Israel, such as charges of ethnic cleansing.”