Benjamin Netanyahu made remarks characterizing the United Kingdom as an Islamic nation during an interview with Israel’s army radio. He stated the UK was “the Islamic republic of Britain” and called it “the first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon.” According to Netanyahu, he was referencing a contrast with historical coverage of Israel by journalist Randolph Churchill, son of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, decades ago. The radio host asked whether Netanyahu was unfairly targeting the UK alone, to which Netanyahu responded affirmatively that similar characterizations applied to other European nations.
The comments drew attention to longstanding far-right rhetoric that characterizes Western nations through their Muslim populations. Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1990s. Similar remarks were made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he described the UK as potentially becoming the first “truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon.”
UK-Israel relations have become increasingly strained in recent months. Andy Burnham, who recently assumed office as Prime Minister, previously apologized for Labour’s initial response to Israeli military operations in Gaza and indicated the government would “do more to put pressure on the Israeli government” through additional sanctions and potential restrictions on trade with illegal settlements. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office responded to Netanyahu’s statements by calling them “completely unacceptable” and reported raising the matter with the Israeli government.
Israeli opposition figures criticized Netanyahu’s remarks. Avi Dabush, running for the Knesset with the opposition Democrats party, stated that such comments represented a “horrific diplomatic failure” at a time when Israel faced “unprecedented global isolation.” Muslim leaders in the UK have reported increasing hate crimes targeting their community amid rising far-right rhetoric and growing support for anti-immigrant political movements.
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