Netanyahu made the comments during an interview on military radio, in which he also joked that the UK was the “first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.”
The British government has reportedly hit back at comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the United Kingdom as the “Islamic republic of Britain”.
A government spokesman called the comments “completely unacceptable” and said the issue had been raised with the Israeli government.
Netanyahu made the comments during an interview on military radio, in which he also joked that the UK was the “first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons.”
During the interview, the Israeli leader praised Randolph Churchill, the son of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, for his positive coverage of Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.
“Try to find that now, in what is called the Islamic Republic of Britain,” he said.
The presenter encouraged this point, saying: “Isn’t all of Europe like this now?”
To which Netanyahu agreed, adding: “Yes, but someone said, ‘the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Great Britain.’”
“So we will make sure there is not a second one here in Iran,” he continued.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been a nuclear power since 1998.
Netanyahu’s comments reflect similar claims made by British and international right-wing politicians and activists, who claim that Britain is increasingly being influenced by Islam.
Relations between the United Kingdom and Israel have become increasingly tense in recent months, particularly since the arrival of new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street.
A few weeks before taking office as prime minister, Burnham apologised for his Labour party’s initial response to the war in Gaza and said it needed to “do better”.
While condemning the “monstrous” attacks by the militant group Hamas on October 7 and the “appalling” anti-Semitic incidents in the UK, he said it was vital to “be clear in our criticism of what has happened in Gaza”.
“The unbearable suffering in Gaza is a wound on our collective conscience,” Burnham said in early July.
“It is completely unacceptable that innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed,” he continued, adding that Westminster must put more pressure on the Israeli government.