The UK has reportedly warned it will expel 27 Israeli diplomats if Israel follows through on its plan to close the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem by October 8. Israel ordered the consulate's shutdown in retaliation for recent British sanctions on illegal West Bank settlements, threatening the diplomatic status of 27 UK personnel who handle relations with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. High-level talks involving Britain's National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell have so far failed to resolve the dispute.