Netanyahu brands Britain an ‘Islamic republic’ as it prepares Israel sanctions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Britain an "Islamic republic", attacking a country whose governments have armed, protected and assisted Israel throughout its genocide in Gaza and wider regional wars.
During an interview broadcast by Army Radio, Netanyahu complained that the favourable British coverage Israel received during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war had disappeared.
The 1967 war began with Israel’s surprise attack on Egypt and ended with Israeli forces seizing the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Syria’s Golan Heights.
“Try to find that now in Britain, which you could call the Islamic republic of Britain,” Netanyahu said.
When the host responded, “Isn’t all of Europe like that?”, Netanyahu replied: “Yes, but you know, someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic republic of Britain.”
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Netanyahu's Islamophobic remarks came as London is poised to announce a raft of new policies in September, multiple sources told Middle East Eye, including a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements.
Sources said the Foreign Office is looking at imposing new sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in the Israeli settler movement in the occupied West Bank.
UK support for Israel
But Netanyahu’s rhetoric clashes with Britain’s record as one of Israel’s most dependable European supporters.
Under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Labour government proscribed the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. The group had targeted factories and facilities connected to companies supplying weapons to Israel.
The ban made membership and expressions of support punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Police have since arrested more than 3,000 people and charged more than 1,200 under terrorism legislation.
London also conducted surveillance flights over Gaza during the genocide and shared intelligence with Israel. The Ministry of Defence trained Israeli military personnel on British courses, only pausing future participation late in 2025.
Britain’s arms policy exposes the same contradiction. Labour suspended 29 export licences to Israel in September 2024 after identifying a “clear risk” that equipment could facilitate violations of international humanitarian law. Then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy stressed that the decision was “not an arms embargo”.
By February 2026, Israel appeared on 395 non-suspended export licences. Of those, 203 covered military goods, while non-F-35 military licences carried a maximum value of £130m.
British support also extended to the war on Iran, with Starmer authorising US forces to use British bases for strikes in March 2026.
His successor, Andy Burnham, continued that access in July, helping Washington sustain a war Netanyahu had pushed the United States to fight.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
