Statement by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband:

Statement by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband:

"We have been clear in our position that we do not accept the claim that the Israeli government has the legal right to close the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which has existed for almost 200 years. The British government reiterates its long-standing position that East Jerusalem is occupied territory.

Following talks with the Israeli government, the Consulate General will not close, and will be designated the British Mission, Jerusalem, as of today. The British Mission, Jerusalem, is independent, active, will continue to provide vital services and will continue our work with the Palestinians.

This will ensure that we preserve our long-standing presence and Britain's role in supporting the two-state solution.

Without these understandings, we would not have had the necessary guarantees to ensure the personal safety of our staff and the protections for them and the compound. Accordingly, Britain has temporarily relocated a number of staff members and their family members, to ensure their personal safety.

We will work in the coming months to rebuild our presence, and we will not take retaliatory steps while talks on the matter are conducted credibly.

Britain stands firmly behind the steps announced on September 8, in coordination with the international community, to support the two-state solution and to bring peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians."