Israel is considering expelling British representatives from the multinational coordination center overseeing the postwar framework for Gaza, as tensions with several European governments deepen over their criticism of Israeli policy in the Palestinian territories, the Financial Times reported.
According to the report, Israeli officials have in recent weeks discussed removing the United Kingdom from the International Gaza Support Center, or IGSC, the US-led headquarters established to help monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Similar action against Germany and Italy has also been considered, people familiar with the discussions told the newspaper.
The IGSC, previously known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center, operates from Kiryat Gat in southern Israel. It is led by US military officers working alongside the IDF and military and diplomatic representatives from roughly 50 countries and international organizations.
The discussions follow Israeli moves against other European governments over their policies toward Israel.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced this week that Dutch representatives would be expelled from the center after the Netherlands moved to boycott Israeli goods produced in settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
Israel had previously removed Spanish officials from the IGSC, accusing Madrid of what it called an “obsessive anti-Israel bias.”
Announcing the action against the Netherlands, Sa’ar said: “Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response.”
The prospect of further expulsions comes amid a sharp deterioration in Israel’s relations with several European governments over the Gaza war, violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel’s expansion of settlements.
The Financial Times said Britain has sought to increase pressure on Israel, including through the possibility of restricting trade in goods originating from settlements.
Britain, Germany and Italy were also among nearly 20 countries, alongside the European Commission, that signed a joint letter last week criticizing Israeli plans to advance construction in the E-1 area near Jerusalem. Opponents of the project argue that it could sever territorial continuity between parts of the West Bank and further undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state.
The UK foreign secretary said Britain would not accept what he described as the destruction of the two-state solution. Sa’ar responded that Britain should not “lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their historic homeland.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
It remains unclear what formal approval Israel would require to remove additional countries from the coordination center.
Two people familiar with the issue told the Financial Times that such a step could require approval from the US-led Board of Peace, established by President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s postwar transition and reconstruction.
Another person disputed that interpretation, arguing that Israel retains sovereign authority to decide which foreign representatives may enter or remain in the country.
A spokesperson for the Board of Peace told the Financial Times that it remained engaged with Israel on maintaining multinational coordination and advancing Trump’s Gaza plan.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and German officials declined to comment, according to the report. An Italian government official, however, dismissed the possibility that Italy and Germany would be expelled.
Asked about the matter, an Israeli official told the newspaper only that “Israel has good relations with Germany and Italy.”
British officials cited by the newspaper appeared relatively unconcerned about the possibility of being removed from the IGSC. One person familiar with the situation said that after Israel had already taken action against Spain and the Netherlands, some form of retaliation against Britain over its harder line was not unexpected.