LONDON: Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outcry both in Israel and the UK after he referred to Britain as the “first Islamic republic” with nuclear weapons.
The Israeli prime minister’s comments appeared to mirror inaccurate far-right conspiracies claiming that Britain is being “taken over” by its Muslim population.
They also come amid signs of tension with the UK — one of Israel’s long-standing European allies, which provided assistance for Netanyahu’s Gaza war.
In a podcast interview with Israel’s army radio, Netanyahu lavished praised on the “positive” coverage of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war by journalist Randolph Churchill, the son of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, The Guardian reported
“Go find that in today’s Britain, in what is called the Islamic republic of Britain,” he said in the show that aired on Thursday.
