West Bank11 September, 20262 min read
Israel Orders British Support Team Monitoring West Bank Settler Violence to Leave Within Seven Days
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Israel orders British Support Team to leave West Bank within seven days amid expansion plans. BST comprised about 10 troops in Ramallah, advising and training Palestinian Authority security forces.
9 outlets told this the same way.
The Telegraph was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.2. See the score →
BST ordered out
Israel ordered a British Support Team (BST) monitoring escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank to leave within seven days, just as the team was preparing to expand its mission fourfold. The Telegraph reported the BST consists of around 10 military personnel based in Ramallah, with a primary role advising and helping train Palestinian Authority security forces operating in parts of the occupied West Bank.
The Telegraph said Israel’s retaliation was tied to British-led trade sanctions targeting illegal Israeli Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and that the team was set to quadruple in size with about 30 former military and police contractors expected to join. The Telegraph also said Israel ordered a smaller British military and diplomatic contingent supporting the Gaza ceasefire from an international headquarters in Kiryat Gat to leave, and that Whitehall sources believed Israel had been looking for an opportunity to remove the team.
Eyes and ears dispute
The Telegraph described the BST as increasingly serving as the West’s “eyes and ears” in the occupied West Bank, sending detailed reports of escalating settler violence to both London and Washington via the office of the United States Security Coordinator (USSC). A British Ministry of Defence source told The Telegraph, "Closing it down is an absolute gift to the Israelis because it closes the eyes and ears of what’s going on there."
The Telegraph said Israeli authorities were spying on the British soldiers and that the team routinely had their communications intercepted by Israeli operatives, with a Whitehall official saying, "It’s not surprising they’re being told to leave." The Telegraph also reported that the BST was preparing to be joined by about 30 former military and police contractors when the order to shut down was announced, and that the diplomatic spat coincided with indications Israel could be preparing a significant security operation before elections at the end of October.
Monitoring and coordination at risk
The Telegraph said the BST was vital for Britain and the United States to know detailed information about attacks, including incidents in Taybeh and Qusra where a Bedouin family was pinned down for more than an hour and a family was besieged for days. The Telegraph reported that the towns had been declared a “closed military zone” after months of settler attacks, but that attacks continued despite the IDF order and that the towns were increasingly surrounded by illegal outposts built by Israeli settlers.
The Telegraph said Israel also ordered the British consulate in East Jerusalem to close within a month, describing it as the gateway for significant amounts of aid funding in the Palestinian territories and acting as a de facto embassy to the PA. The Palestine Chronicle report framed the expulsions as part of Israel’s retaliation for British-led sanctions, saying the BST’s removal could reduce Britain and the United States’ ability to monitor developments on the ground in the occupied West Bank.