Israeli PM Netanyahu calls UK ‘the Islamic Republic of Britain’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the United Kingdom as the "Islamic Republic of Britain" during an appearance on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim. Netanyahu made this remark while expressing dissatisfaction with British media coverage of Israel, contrasting it with what he described as positive coverage from the past. He also seemingly echoed a 2022 comment about the UK potentially becoming the first nuclear-armed "Islamist country." A British and Irish Jewish group criticized Netanyahu's comments as hateful and divisive, stating that he does not speak for British Jews. The article notes these remarks come amidst growing tensions between Israel and the UK's Labour government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the UK as "the Islamic republic of Britain" and the "first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon" during an interview on Israel's army radio. These remarks echo Islamophobic tropes and have drawn criticism from Israeli opposition figures for attacking an ally during a period of global isolation for Israel. The article notes that Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1990s. Similar comments about the UK potentially becoming an "Islamist country" with nuclear weapons were made by US Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 presidential campaign. Relations between the UK and Israel have reportedly become strained recently.