Netanyahu hits London with ‘Islamic Britain’ jibe

The Israeli PM’s remark comes as the new Labour government weighs taking measures against the Jewish state following months of strained relations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the UK as the “Islamic Republic of Britain,” as the country’s new Labour government weighs taking measures against Israel.

Speaking on an Israeli Army Radio podcast on Friday, Netanyahu criticized the British media’s coverage of Israel, while comparing it to reporting during the 1967 Six-Day War.

“Go find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain,” he said, as cited by Israeli media.

Netanyahu then echoed a 2024 joke made by US Vice President J.D.

Vance, saying Britain could become the first “Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.” According to the latest census-based figures, Muslims account for around 6% of the UK’s population, while Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1990s.

Read more Wired for War: Why is the UK protecting Israeli election meddlers? The British Foreign Office called the comments “completely unacceptable,” noting that the issue had been raised with the Israeli government.

Relations between London and Israel have deteriorated since the UK formally recognized the State of Palestine in September of 2025, a move rejected by Netanyahu’s government.

The exchange comes weeks after Andy Burnham became prime minister.

Before taking office, Burnham said Labour “didn’t get it right” on Gaza, asserting that Britain needed to put greater pressure on the Israeli government, including through the use of sanctions and measures targeting trade with Israeli settlements.

Nonetheless, Britain has maintained military-export ties with Israel.

While London did suspend some arms licenses in 2024 due to concerns that the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, it exempted components supplied through the multinational F-35 program.

Britain also provided military support during this year’s conflict with Iran.

London deployed aircraft to intercept Iranian attacks and authorized US forces to use British bases for operations against Iranian missile launchers and related sites.

British security cooperation with Israel has included surveillance flights over Gaza and intelligence sharing.