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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 14 Aug 202614 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to the United Kingdom as the \u201cIslamic Republic of Britain\u201d, a dig at one of Israel\u2019s historically closest European allies.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu made the remark on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim that aired on Thursday as he objected to British media coverage of Israel.<\/p>\n
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As an example, Netanyahu pointed to British writer Randolph Churchill, who he praised for his \u201cpositive\u201d coverage of Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Netanyahu then added sarcastically: \u201cGo find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain,\u201d according to translated comments published by Israeli media.<\/p>\n
Later in the podcast, Netanyahu appeared to reference comments made by JD Vance in 2022<\/a> that the UK may constitute the first nuclear-armed \u201cIslamist country\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are making sure there won\u2019t be another one here, in Iran,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u2018Does not speak for British Jews\u2019<\/p>\n A British and Irish Jewish group criticised the Israeli prime minister\u2019s comments as hateful and divisive.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and social division are causing real fear across our country, language of this kind is dangerous and irresponsible,\u201d said Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Lev, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism.<\/p>\n \u201cPrime Minister Netanyahu does not speak for British Jews. His words do not represent us,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n Gavin Barwell, former Downing Street chief of staff to Prime Minister Theresa May, said Netanyahu\u2019s comments amounted to \u201cblatant Islamophobia\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s hope everyone will now shed the pretence some still cling to that this man is any friend of Britain,\u201d Barwell wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n Despite traditionally strong ties, tensions between the Israeli and British governments have grown since the progressive Labour Party took power in the UK in 2024.<\/p>\n Under former Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the UK paused free trade talks with Israel and suspended some arms export licences.<\/p>\n Like\u00a0France<\/a>, the\u00a0UK has also imposed sanctions<\/a>\u00a0on far-right Israeli cabinet members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.<\/p>\n Last year, the UK joined allies, including France and Canada, in recognising a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n