Netanyahu says UK has ‘undermined’ Israel with arms embargo

LONDON — Benjamin Netanyahu accused Britain’s new government of undermining Israel by blocking arms exports to the country and dropping objections to an international arrest warrant against him.

In an interview with British newspaper the Daily Mail, the Israeli prime minister attacked center-left Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “misguided” administration and accused London of “sending a horrible message” to Hamas.

“After the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages.”

Britain suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel earlier this month after the government concluded there is a “real risk” the weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law. The U.K. moved ahead in spite of late-stage lobbying from the U.S.

“The new U.K. government suspended 30 arms licences to Israel, days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, sending a horrible message to Hamas,” Nethanyahu said. But he vowed: “These misguided decisions will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas.”

Britain’s new Foreign Secretary David Lammy has expressed concern about the treatment of detainees and said Israel could “reasonably do more” to ensure food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza.

Nethanyahu, who has faced intense domestic pressure over his handling of Oct. 7 and its aftermath, argued that any claim by the U.K. to support Israel’s right to defend itself was undermined by the country dropping its opposition to the International Criminal Court seeking an arrest warrant against him.

“If the arrest warrants are issued against the leaders of the only democracy in the Middle East, it will compromise the ability of all democracies in the world to fight terrorism, including Britain,” Netanyahu argued.

At the time, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “our position on this process matter is that it is for the courts and prosecutor to decide and that’s why we’ve not taken forward plans put forward by the previous government.”

Netanyahu also strayed into domestic British matters, arguing that regular pro-Palestinian had descended into “shameless anti-Semitism.”

He added: “It is worrisome. I trust and expect that the U.K. leadership will take the necessary steps to root out this scourge.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the paper: “There is no place in Britain for anti-Semitism, and we will not relent in our work to root out hatred in all forms. This government is committed to multi-year funding for the Community Security Trust, and working with the Jewish Community and police to ensure that everyone feels safe on our streets.”