Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the UK as the "Islamic Republic of Britain" during a podcast interview, drawing a contrast between the country's current stance and that of Winston Churchill's grandson, whom he called a "lover of Israel". He also linked the jibe to Israel's efforts to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, joking that Britain would beat Iran to becoming "the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons". The remarks come amid a marked deterioration in UK-Israel relations, driven by the Gaza war and Britain's recognition of Palestinian statehood, and add fresh friction to an already strained relationship.

Netanyahu made the comments to Avi Harush, a former officer whose son died fighting Hamas, and previously accused Sir Keir Starmer of appeasing Hamas over Britain's Palestine stance. Starmer's successor, Andy Burnham, has since apologised for Labour's past handling of the Gaza conflict and accused Netanyahu of undermining prospects for a two-state solution. Separately, the article notes that Jared Kushner, Nickolay Mladenov and Sir Tony Blair are due to travel to Israel and Cairo to push forward US-brokered ceasefire and reconstruction plans for Gaza, after Israel rejected elements of a recent White House-announced deal requiring Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal.