‘’The FCDO (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) no longer advises against all but essential travel to Israel, and no longer advises against all but essential travel to Jerusalem (including to East Jerusalem (Occupied Palestinian Territories)),’’ says a notice issued last week by the British Foreign Office.
It adds: ‘’Israel, and Jerusalem are both now on the list of countries and territories where self-isolation is not required on return to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.’’
The notice drew criticism from the U.K.’s Jewish community as it listed Jerusalem as separate to Israel in its updated travel corridors list.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a statement calling the notice “absolutely inappropriate” and said it had taken up its concerns with the Foreign Office.
A British Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The UK’s position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.
“In line with relevant Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This decision on travel corridors is driven by public health considerations based on epidemiological evidence.”
Israel has declared Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital.