Netanyahu Calls UK the "Islamic Republic of Britain" on Podcast, Drawing Strong Condemnation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened the United Kingdom to an "Islamic Republic of Britain" during an interview on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim, a remark that has provoked criticism and renewed tensions between London and Jerusalem.

Netanyahu made the comment while objecting to what he described as negative British media coverage of Israel. He invoked the wartime reporting of British writer Randolph Churchill, praising Churchill's sympathetic coverage of Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and saying sarcastically: "Go find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain," according to translated excerpts carried by the Israeli press.

Later in the conversation he appeared to echo a 2022 remark attributed to US politician JD Vance about the possibility of the UK becoming a nuclear-armed "Islamist" country, saying: "Someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain. We are making sure there won't be another one here, in Iran."

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The comment drew swift condemnation from British and Irish Jewish leaders. Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Lev, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism, described the language as "dangerous and irresponsible," warning it fuels antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and wider social divisions. "Prime Minister Netanyahu does not speak for British Jews. His words do not represent us," they added.

"At 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," the rabbis said.

Context: Strained UK–Israel Relations

Relations between the UK and Israel have grown strained since the Labour Party returned to power in 2024 under Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The UK paused free trade talks with Israel, suspended some arms export licences and joined other Western governments in imposing targeted sanctions on far-right Israeli cabinet members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The UK also recognised a Palestinian state last year alongside France and Canada.

Separately, Labour politician Andy Burnham has publicly apologised for what he described as the party's slow initial response to Israel's actions in Gaza. Burnham urged tougher measures, including additional sanctions on those responsible for violence in Gaza and restrictions on goods from illegal settlements, saying: "We've got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government."

The podcast remarks add to diplomatic friction at a sensitive moment, complicating efforts to maintain bilateral cooperation while responding to public and parliamentary pressure in the UK over Israel's conduct in Gaza.