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Netanyahu calls UK ‘Islamic Republic of Britain’ in radio interview
Israeli prime minister made the provocative remark during a conversation about the threat from Iran
Benjamin Netanyahu has described the UK as the “Islamic Republic of Britain” while warning that Israel is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Israeli prime minister made the provocative remark during an interview with Israel’s Galey Israel radio station.
“You might call Britain the ‘Islamic Republic of Britain,’” Netanyahu said.
He then referred to a remark he said had been made by someone else about Britain becoming an Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.
“Someone said that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain,” he said.
“We’re making sure there won’t be another one – you know, in Iran.”
Netanyahu did not explain in the remarks why he used the description of Britain.
His comments come against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Iran and its nuclear ambitions, which Israel has long regarded as an existential security threat.
Britain is itself a nuclear-armed state and has also opposed Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The remarks prompted criticism online, including from those pointing out that Pakistan, an Islamic republic, has possessed nuclear weapons for decades.
Netanyahu’s intervention also comes during a period of strained relations between Israel and the UK, with the two countries repeatedly clashing over British policy towards Israel and the war in Gaza.
Israel has meanwhile continued to argue that preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is vital not only for the Jewish state but for security across the wider Middle East. Earlier this week the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, spoke with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar. In a statement following the meeting, Miliband’s description of the discussion included the information that “we also discussed our vital shared interest in ensuring that we never see a nuclear Iran.”
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