Benjamin Netanyahu slaps down 'weak' Keir Starmer again in scathing verdict of PM's Palestine plan

 Benjamin Netanyahu has blasted Sir Keir Starmer's "weak" and "shameful" plans to recognise the state of Palestine once again.

In a furious podcast appearance on Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister laid into his British counterpart - and issued a dire warning over his response to Israel's military activity in Gaza to boot.

Mr Netanyahu told the TRIGGERnometry podcast: "They [Hamas] commit the greatest savagery against Jews since the Holocaust, and the Prime Minister of Britain says we will reward you with a de facto state which is committed openly to repeating the October 7 massacre over and over and over again."

He added: "Let's imagine, what would be the response of Britain is about 15,000 people would be butchered in one day, and you'd have, I don't know, 2,500 hostages taken.

"Would you say, 'oh, well, we should give our attackers a state right next to London?' Of course not."

"The standard that is being applied is not merely wrong, it's just downright dangerous.

"Because you're really rewarding these monstrous terrorists with the greatest prize and that's because of weakness."

REUTERS

Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Prime Minister's plans to recognise the state of Palestine are rewarding Hamas

Britain followed in France's steps to recognise a Palestinian state in September - with Canada and Australia set to follow suit.

The podcast's release also came just ahead of Israel's first steps of occuping the Hamas-controlled Gaza City.

According to Brigadier General Effie Defrin, spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces, said they "control the outskirts of the city".

The plans to begin a new phase of military operations in densely-populated areas of the city were approved by Israel Katz, the Israeli Defence Minister, on Wednesday.