Two days after igniting a firestorm in Britain by posting on social media that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina, Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, escalated the confrontation on Monday with a pointed message to British citizens comparing their anger to Israeli frustration over the UK Labour government's policies.
"Upset about my comment on the Falklands --- a pile of rocks 12,000 kilometers from your shores? Good," the younger Netanyahu wrote. He then challenged Britons to "imagine how we Israelis feel about your government's recognition of 'Palestine' over our historic homeland in Judea and Samaria, its denial of our sovereignty over our capital Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, its constant interference in our internal affairs, and its ongoing criticism of our country."
Netanyahu emphasized the geographic contrast, noting that Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the Golan Heights "are at the heart of our country, which is already about the size of Wales, not lands thousands of kilometers away from us."
He went on to criticize Britain's response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack. "Your government criticizes our country's response to the October 7th events in Gaza, when it's very clear that if your country had been invaded by a terrorist group that killed, raped, tortured and kidnapped thousands of Britons, while firing thousands of rockets at your cities, as we experienced on October 7th, your response would have been far harsher," he wrote.
Netanyahu cited historical examples, stating that "Britain destroyed Germany in World War II and killed millions of German civilians. The casualties from British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq were far higher than those in Gaza, even though neither of those countries attacked Britain or posed a direct threat to Britain."
He concluded with a sharp rebuke: "Since the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7th, we have experienced only hostility, antisemitism and blood libels from your government. The alliance works both ways."
