Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government for mixed signals and “misguided actions” in an interview with the Daily Mail, published on Wednesday.
“After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support. Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages,” Netanyahu stated.
Following the Labour Party’s decision to suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel, including for fighter jets, helicopters, and drones, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the suspension as “partial,” adding that Israel has the right to self-defense under international law.
Netanyahu responded, saying, “They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right by reversing Britain’s position on the unfounded allegations made by the ICC [International Criminal Court] prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.
“Israel is waging a just war using just means, taking unprecedented measures to protect civilians and fully complying with international law,” he said.
The UK arms embargo came shortly after Hamas murdered six Israeli hostages in tunnels in southern Gaza.
Netanyahu explained that these “misguided actions” send a troubling message to Hamas but he asserted that the decisions “will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that brutally murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens, and took 255 people hostage, five of whom are British.”
“Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is viewed as vital in defeating barbarism, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror. Israel will win this war and secure our shared future.”
ICC Ruling
The ICC has been considering issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in the Israel-Hamas war.
The UK’s previous government, under Rishi Sunak, had reportedly agreed to challenge this decision in exchange for the right to monitor the conditions of Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons.
Upon taking office, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged Starmer to uphold the previous government’s position. However, his administration has indicated it will not contest the ICC’s decision.
Netanyahu commented on Starmer’s decision: “The Labour Government decided to drop its challenge to the preposterous ICC arrest warrants sought by the prosecutor against the prime minister and defense minister of Israel.
“If these arrest warrants are issued against the leaders of the only democracy in the Middle East, it will undermine the ability of all democracies to combat terrorism, including Britain,” he said.
“President [Joe] Biden and others have called these arrest warrants ‘outrageous.’ Britain’s General Sir John McColl, after visiting Gaza, said, ‘I fought in Iraq – I know Israel is doing all it can to save civilians,’ the prime minister said.
"The principle is simple: justice for all nations except the Jews."
Since the war began, the UK has experienced a significant rise in antisemitic acts, leading nearly half of British Jews to consider leaving the country, according to a December 2023 poll by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
“Britain is witnessing shameless antisemitism on its campuses, in city centers, and across many parts of the country. It is concerning,” Netanyahu concluded. “I trust and expect that UK leadership will take the necessary steps to eradicate this scourge.”