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Netanyahu Refers to United Kingdom as 'Islamic Republic of Britain' in Podcast

evening · · thread: Israeli Strikes Kill Up to Six in Gaza Amid Progress in Ceasefire Talks

4 sources across 3 countries · Israel · Qatar · United Kingdom · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Haaretz Israel · Left · Schocken family and M. DuMont Schauberg
  • The Times of Israel Israel · Centre · Seth Klarman (majority backer)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the United Kingdom as the "Islamic Republic of Britain" during a podcast appearance on Thursday. While discussing British media coverage of Israel, Netanyahu praised the positive reporting of Randolph Churchill during the 1967 Six-Day War before sarcastically stating, "Go find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain." He further commented that some have suggested the UK would be the first nuclear armed Islamic republic, adding that Israel is working to ensure Iran does not become another one. These remarks appear to echo comments made by JD Vance in 2022 regarding the UK. The comments come amid strained relations between Israel and the UK government under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has vowed to put more pressure on Israel through potential sanctions and trade bans on illegal settlements. Reactions to the comments varied. A British and Irish Jewish group called the language dangerous and irresponsible, while former Downing Street chief of staff Gavin Barwell described it as blatant Islamophobia. Avi Dabush of Israel's opposition Democrats party characterized the remarks as a diplomatic failure. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

How each side framed it

Left
Highlighted the comments as a reaction to the UK government's increased pressure on Israel regarding Gaza and West Bank violence.
Centre-left
Framed the comments as dangerous, Islamophobic, and a sign of deteriorating diplomatic relations.
Centre
Presented the comments as a joke and a reference to a specific political crack.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.