Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ridiculed the UK as the "Islamic Republic of Britain" amid tensions between the Labour Government and Israel. The comment came during a podcast interview with Avi Harush, a former military officer who lost his son fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu's Podcast Remarks
Mr Netanyahu reflected on meeting Winston Churchill's namesake grandson in the episode, who he said represented Israel in a "very positive way". "Try to find that now in Britain, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain," he said. "Someone said, you know, that [it will be] the first Islamic Republic with nuclear weapons. We're making sure there won't be another one like that in Iran."
Labour-Israel Tensions
Mr Netanyahu's Government has been critical of Labour since Sir Keir Starmer elected to recognise the state of Palestine last September. The Israeli Prime Minister suggested the former leader was effectively rewarding terror group Hamas with the move.
His inflammatory remarks echo those of US Vice President JD Vance who also warned the UK would be the first "truly Islamic country that will get a nuclear weapon" at the National Conservatism Conference in 2024. Britain's Muslim population sits at around 6.5%, compared to 18% in Israel.
New PM Andy Burnham's Stance
New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham sparked fears of an increased lack of cooperation with Israel after apologising for his party's initial response to Mr Netanyahu's actions in Gaza, adding that Labour must "do better". In a video message last month, he said the UK should be "clear in our criticism of what has happened in Gaza" while also condemning Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, and subsequent acts of antisemitism in Britain.
While he suggested his Government would go further than Sir Keir's, he stopped short of accusing Israel of perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians, as some Labour MPs have. It comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, the US and Iran, with strikes continuing on both sides and a blockade remaining in place on global shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said reopening the route and securing a lasting ceasefire in the region was "essential to ease cost-of-living pressures on British families".
