British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband responded to Gideon Sa'ar's announcement about ending the consulate's operations in Jerusalem, stating it will not close but will be renamed 'The British Mission, Jerusalem' starting today. "We have been clear that we do not accept the claim that the Israeli government has the right to close the consulate, which has existed for about 200 years," he said. "The mission is independent, active, will provide essential services and will continue our work with the Palestinians. We will maintain our long-standing presence and our role in supporting the two-state solution." According to him, "We will work in the coming months to rebuild our presence, and will not take retaliatory measures while talks are taking place in good faith."