Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Britain’s Labour government of acting “like a rogue state” in an interview with the Daily Mail published Saturday. He cited London’s ban on imports from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, its restrictions on arms exports and its recognition of a Palestinian state, and called the moves appeasement of “Islamist forces.”
And all this after Israeli intelligence had helped British authorities thwart a suspected Iran-sponsored attack on RAF Fairford last week.
Without the Israeli warning, Netanyahu said, the attack “would probably have gone through.” Then, he said, London turned on Israel: “The next day, they slapped sanctions on us.”
“It’s mind-blowing hypocrisy,” he said.
Netanyahu said he has not spoken with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham since Burnham took office in July. He admitted relations were “not very good,” but said Israel still regards Britain as an ally.
There was no immediate response from London.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to @seanhannity on @FoxNews:
“Do you want to hear how absurd things are? We gave the Brits the intel on an Iranian-sponsored attack. And pretty much the next day, they slapped sanctions on us. It’s wild.” https://t.co/4AGXCNswNa— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 1, 2026
The Fairford plot
What’s known is that early on Sunday, Sept. 27, armed police stopped three vans heading toward RAF Fairford and arrested five men on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses. Axios later reported that the five were released on bail without charge.
GB News reports that a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national was later arrested on suspicion of a terror offense connected to the incident.
Iran denies any involvement, but Burnham told the BBC this week there are “strong indications that Iran played a part,” while stressing the police investigation is ongoing.
US bombers have flown from Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared in July that any British base used for attacks on Iran would be a “legitimate target.”
Focusing on the wrong “enemy”?
Britain’s own prime minister believes Tehran probably tried to blow up something on British soil. But his government is focusing the lion’s share of its attention on punishing the Jewish state.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” when he set out the Jewish settlement ban, according to The Telegraph. He also told Parliament he was “confident about our intelligence and security partnerships.” That’s according to Declassified UK, an outlet that is sharply hostile to Israel and was complaining that the sanctions didn’t go far enough.
In other words, Israeli intelligence is welcome in London. Israeli produce from Judea and Samaria is not.
Who said “rogue state” first
Netanyahu didn’t coin the insult.
Wes Streeting, now Burnham’s defense secretary, reportedly told then-US ambassador Peter Mandelson that Israel was showing “rogue state behaviour” in the so-called “West Bank” and should pay the price “as pariahs.” The exchange was reported by Declassified UK and The New Arab, both critical of Israel, citing leaked messages.
Netanyahu simply handed the phrase back.
Why the coverage misses it
Most headlines will lead with the insult. That makes it a story about a prickly Israeli leader.
The real story is lopsided priorities. The government that suspects Iran of plotting an attack on its own airbase is the same one prioritizing sanctions on its closest intelligence partner in the region. Netanyahu also asked why British protesters and politicians aren’t directing more of their anger at Tehran.
What Israelis see
Britain’s prime minister says Iran probably played a part in a plot against a British base. His foreign secretary says the intelligence partnership with Israel is sound. And in the same season, his government banned Jewish settlement goods, restricted arms sales and recognized a Palestinian state, all moves that paint Israel as a villain and harm the Jewish state’s security.
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