Israel’s decision to close the British Consulate in East Jerusalem is a punishment for Palestinians, former Israeli diplomats told The Independent. The move came after the UK launched new sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. “The Israeli reaction is not against Britain. It’s against Palestine because closing the British consulate in Jerusalem, which is in fact the British Embassy to Palestine, is damage to the Palestinians,” said Alon Liel, a diplomat for more than three decades, adding that the “brutality” of the settler movement is isolating Israel internationally. “The message is to the international community: You are not helping the Palestinians. We Israelis will see to it that they will suffer even more.” Former Israeli diplomat Nadav Tamir said: “Palestinians who want any contact with the UK, whether they are UK citizens or not, they need a place to deal with the UK, and this is what the consulate was meant to do and closing it is will hurt Palestinians. I think it also hurts UK interests.” Ilan Baruch, former Israeli ambassador to South Africa, said: “The consulate in Jerusalem is primarily destined to deal with the relations with the Palestinian Authority.” The British Consulate is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, which Israel illegally annexed.