Embassy of the United Kingdom, Tel Aviv

The embassy occupies a 3,000-square-meter property at 192 Hayarkon Street on Tel Aviv's seafront, at the corner of Arlozorov Street and opposite the Tel Aviv Hilton.[1][6] Public access is by appointment only; visitors requiring assistance with access are advised to contact the Security Manager in advance, and disabled access is available at both the embassy and its Consular Section.[1]

The embassy's local opening hours are Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm, and Friday, 8am to 1:30pm.[1] Emergency consular support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, reachable by telephone at +972 (0)3 725 1222 (Israel) or +44 (0)20 7008 5000 (UK).[2] The embassy no longer issues passports; British nationals requiring a new or renewed passport are directed to apply through HM Passport Office in the United Kingdom.[1] British nationals abroad may apply online for an emergency travel document if a passport is lost, stolen, damaged, or expired and there is not enough time to obtain a replacement before travel.[2]

A programme from the International Conference of Jewish Communal Service held in Jerusalem in August 1967 lists Great Britain's embassy at 192 Rehov Hayarkon, Tel-Aviv, with telephone number 249171 — indicating the mission has occupied the same Hayarkon Street address for many decades.[7]

Britain extended de facto recognition to Israel on January 29, 1949.[4] In May of that year, the two countries agreed to raise the status of their respective missions in London and Tel Aviv from informal representations to full-fledged legations.[4] A contemporary Anglo-Jewish Association yearbook noted that following recognition, relations showed steady improvement, while acknowledging that "coolness and mistrust remain."[4]

The embassy formally opened in April 1950, which the FCDO has described as the beginning of British diplomatic relations with Israel.[3] The National Archives holds a series of general correspondence from the British embassy in Israel — catalogued under reference FO 1053 — comprising eight files covering the period 1950 to 1965, with the creator identified as "Foreign Office, Embassy, Israel, 1948–1968."[8]

A 1954 U.S. State Department circular airgram recorded Washington discussions with representatives of the British Embassy about short-term improvements to the Israel–Jordan border situation. The British presented Foreign Office proposals that corresponded to several points in a concurrent U.S. working paper.[9] In July 1962, following Israel's decision to close its Foreign Liaison Office in Tel Aviv and direct foreign governments to communicate directly with the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, the U.S. Embassy consulted French, British, and Italian representatives in Tel Aviv; the U.S. Embassy assessed the change would have little practical effect on embassy business.[10]

The 2020 FCDO article marking the 70th anniversary of the embassy's opening connected the mission's founding to decades of growing cooperation in science, technology, medicine, and trade.[3]

Simon Walters CMG was appointed His Majesty's Ambassador to Israel in July 2023.[5] As ambassador, he represents the King and the UK government and bears responsibility for the full range of the embassy's work, including political engagement, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.[5]

In August 2025, Walters stated at an embassy briefing that Britain was maintaining economic, technological, and research relationships with Israel despite political disagreements over the Gaza war and Israeli policies in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria.[11] In September 2026, he led a delegation to the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor as part of the UK government's International Growth Partnerships program, which paired Israel with that region, exploring potential cooperation in genomics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, agricultural technology, artificial intelligence, and clean technology.[12]

One of the embassy's most distinctive initiatives is the UK-Israel Tech Hub, established at the embassy in 2011 to promote UK economic growth by building lasting UK-Israel partnerships in high technology.[13][14] Ambassador Matthew Gould initiated the Hub, which at launch employed six staff — including a director and specialists in digital technology, cleantech, biotech, and the Arab Israeli high-tech community — with a UK-Israel High-Tech Council described as a planned next step.[13]

The Hub has been described as "the only such facility sponsored by any government at its embassy anywhere in the world."[15] Its activities have included connecting Israeli startups with UK and European markets, industry contacts, investors, mentors, and British government-supported programs; its TeXchange program selected 15 Israeli startups for a three-day visit to London.[15] By 2016, it had facilitated more than 80 technology partnerships valued at over £60 million, with notable connections including NatWest with cybersecurity startup BioCatch and GlaxoSmithKline with the Technion for drug-research cooperation.[16]

By the time of a later assessment, the Hub had fostered 175 technology partnerships and 54 deals worth $112 million since inception.[17] A 2025 report estimated the Hub's total economic impact for the UK at £1.2 billion.[14] That year it operated the Dangoor HealthTech Academy, an eight-week program in which nine Israeli startups received guidance on UK healthcare regulation, research and development, pilot programs, and meetings with NHS and private healthcare organizations, innovation hubs, and accelerators.[14]

The embassy also supports broader bilateral research initiatives. BIRAX, a joint UK-Israel program, had invested £15 million over 13 years in healthy-aging research, while the World Clean Growth Alliance had supported 35 collaborative projects in clean energy, water, and food.[11] In July 2026, the embassy and the UK Department for Business and Trade hosted a British gin showcase in Tel Aviv for Israeli distributors, retailers, and hospitality professionals; embassy figures showed that over 75% of gin imported into Israel originated from British distilleries, with UK gin exports to Israel valued at £3.99 million in 2024.[18]

In July 2008, the embassy announced plans to relocate from its Hayarkon Street premises to three floors in Kirya Tower, then being marketed by Africa-Israel Investments, a company belonging to businessman Lev Leviev.[6] The proposed tenancy drew significant controversy because Africa-Israel was reported to be involved in construction in West Bank settlements. Ambassador Tom Phillips requested information from Africa-Israel about its settlement activities, but the response did not satisfy British concerns; the plans were frozen and the move was cancelled in 2009.[19][20]

In December 2012, amid media reports that Britain and France were considering recalling their ambassadors to protest Israeli settlement construction, the embassy stated publicly: "The recent Israeli government decision to build 3,000 new housing units threatens the two-state solution and makes progress through negotiations harder to achieve."[21] Both embassies declined to comment on the recall reports, and no recall was confirmed to have taken place.[21]

The question of the embassy's location — and by extension the UK's position on Jerusalem's contested status — has been a recurring diplomatic flashpoint. The UK does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem pending a negotiated settlement of the city's status, and the embassy remains in Tel Aviv.[22]

In September 2022, Prime Minister Liz Truss told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid that she was reviewing the embassy's location, following earlier public comments that she would reconsider keeping it in Tel Aviv.[23] Ynet reported that officials had begun a feasibility review and that a possible site was land in Talpiot, Jerusalem — associated with a former British military compound in the Arnona area — which Britain had owned for many years.[24] The British Foreign Office stated the review was intended to assess how best to advance British interests, peace, and stability in the region and support for a two-state solution.[24]

Ten former British diplomats wrote publicly that any move should await the establishment of a Palestinian state.[23] In November 2022, a spokeswoman for incoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed: "There are no plans to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv."[25]

Separate from the Tel Aviv embassy, the UK maintains a British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which handles UK dealings with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. On October 5, 2026, a report said Israel planned to close that consulate and revoke its staff's diplomatic credentials; the UK had reportedly warned it might expel 27 Israeli diplomats from London in response. The British Embassy declined to comment on the reported warning, and no expulsion had occurred at the time of reporting.[26]