Britain on Friday hit back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he called the country an “Islamic republic,” branding the remarks as “completely unacceptable.”

The UK additionally said it has “raised” the matter with Jerusalem.

“These comments are completely unacceptable and we have raised them with the Israeli government,” a UK government spokesman said.

The diplomatic dispute came after the prime minister made the reference in an Army Radio podcast interview, in which he also swiped at the UK’s stance on Israel.

Netanyahu, who has long shown his admiration for Winston Churchill, noted on the podcast that the son and grandson of the World War II-era British leader were journalists who produced pro-Israel reporting on the June 1967 Six-Day War.

“They came here and covered the Six Day War in a way that was very positive for us,” Netanyahu said on the bereavement-themed “Melech B’leyatzer Chayim” (King at Creating Life) podcast. “Try finding that in Britain today. What’s called ‘the Islamic republic of Britain’.”

After Netanyahu called Britain an “Islamic republic,” podcast host Avi Harush, whose 20-year-old son Reef was killed fighting in Gaza in April 2024, asked whether “all of Europe isn’t already like that,” referring to the growth of Muslim communities across the continent.

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