Report: Israel considers expelling UK from base in Kiryat Gat

Israel is considering expelling British, and possibly other European representatives, from the American coordination center in Kiryat Gat established for operations in Gaza, the Financial Times reported today (Thursday), citing several sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the Israeli government has been discussing in recent weeks the possibility of removing the UK from the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), the multinational headquarters established to oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with US mediation. According to some sources, similar measures were also considered against Italy and Germany.

The center, formerly known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center, is located in Kiryat Gat and is managed by US Army officers working alongside the IDF and dozens of military and diplomatic representatives from about 50 countries and international organizations.

This week, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the removal of Dutch representatives from the center, following the Netherlands' decision to boycott Israeli products marketed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Spanish representatives were also removed from the center this year. Israel explained the move at the time as being due to Madrid's "obsessive anti-Israel stance." Upon announcing the removal of the Dutch representatives, Sa'ar said:

"Israel will not allow steps to be taken against it without responding."

According to the Financial Times, the possibility of removing additional European representatives reflects the deterioration in relations between Israel and its allies in Europe. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has sought to toughen his country's policy toward Israel. Last month, he said he would seek to exert pressure on the Israeli government through the possibility of banning trade in products marketed in the West Bank.

It was also reported that the UK, Germany, and Italy, along with nearly 20 other countries and the European Commission, published a joint letter last week criticizing Israel's plan to advance construction tenders for the E1 project in the Jerusalem area. According to analysts, the project could bisect the West Bank and harm the prospects for establishing a Palestinian state.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said that "the UK will not stand by and agree to the destruction of the two-state solution." Sa'ar replied that the UK should not "preach to the Jewish people about where they are allowed to live in their historical homeland."

According to two sources familiar with the matter, any decision to remove additional international representatives from the center might require the approval of the US-led "Peace Council," which was established this year by President Donald Trump to oversee the transition and reconstruction of Gaza after the war, including the center's activities. However, a third source, according to the report, disputed the need for such approval, saying that Israel has the sovereign right to decide who enters its territory and who remains there.

In response, a spokesperson for the "Peace Council" stated that the organization "continues to maintain a dialogue with its Israeli counterparts regarding ways to preserve and strengthen multinational coordination and accelerate progress on the President's comprehensive peace plan for Gaza."

The Financial Times says that an Israeli source stated that "Israel has good relations with Germany and Italy." In addition, a British source said that the UK is aware of the possibility that Israel will remove its representatives from the center. According to him, after Israel has already acted against Spain and the Netherlands, it is logical to expect "retaliation" from Israel following the hard line taken by the UK.