Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has triggered a diplomatic backlash after referring to the United Kingdom as the “Islamic Republic of Britain” during a television interview.
Netanyahu made the remark on Thursday while speaking on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim, where he criticised what he described as a major shift in British foreign policy and growing hostility towards Israel in the UK media.
While discussing British media coverage of Israel, Netanyahu praised the late British writer Randolph Churchill for his reporting during the 1967 Six-Day War before contrasting it with what he described as the current state of British journalism.
He then used the controversial description of Britain while discussing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Someone said that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain,” Netanyahu said. “We’re making sure there won’t be another one like that in Iran.”
Asked whether he believed the same description applied to other European countries, Netanyahu replied, “Yes.”
The remarks immediately attracted criticism in Britain, with former Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell accusing the Israeli leader of promoting Islamophobic rhetoric.
“Let’s hope everyone will now shed the pretense some still cling to that this man is any friend of Britain,” Barwell wrote on X.
Netanyahu’s comments come amid increasingly strained relations between Israel and Britain over the war in Gaza and the UK government’s approach to Israel.
Britain has suspended some arms export licences to Israel over concerns about potential breaches of international humanitarian law. The government has also imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over their policies concerning the occupied West Bank.
The administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also taken a more supportive position on Palestinian statehood, further widening differences with Netanyahu’s government.
The latest remarks are expected to add to tensions between the two countries as Britain continues to press for an end to the Gaza conflict and greater humanitarian access.
The British government had not issued a formal response to Netanyahu’s comments as of Friday morning.
