Netanyahu's Son Stirs Backlash with Falklands Remarks Backing Argentina
Yair Netanyahu, the second son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has triggered a wave of criticism in Britain after posting on social media that the Falkland Islands "belong to Argentina." The remarks, made on X, came after US President Donald Trump said Washington's position on the islands was under review.
The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Netanyahu's post, which expressed support for Argentine President Javier Milei, had sparked a lengthy and heated debate online, particularly among figures on the British right, a constituency traditionally supportive of Israel. The exchange drew responses from politicians, commentators, and activists across the political spectrum, with several voicing displeasure over the comments.
Rupert Lowe of the Restore Britain party said it was "entirely legitimate" to question Israel's official position on the sovereignty of the Falklands in light of the remarks. Sir Conor Burns, a former Conservative minister, wrote on social media that the comments would be "damaging" to Israel's "cause on the right." British commentator Konstantin Kisin called the post "a stupid and childish thing to say."
GB News presenter Alex Armstrong, quoted by both Israel Hayom and The Independent, said: "Short memories from some Israeli commentators and deeply unhelpful remarks. Argentina has historically been an enemy of their state and has even compared the Falkland Islands to Gaza." Armstrong added that the UK had come to Israel's aid "militarily even, for generations" and enjoyed "strong support from the right of British politics," while noting that "governments change, and in Britain they change regularly."
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who recently visited Israel, shared a post insisting that "the Falkland Islands are British" as a "true fact."
Netanyahu, who is 35 and hosts a podcast, doubled down on his initial post, writing that Israel should "stop recognising the Malvinas"—the Argentine name for the islands—only once Britain stops "recognising Palestine." He also condemned what he called "British hypocrisy and hostility towards Israel" over Britain's recognition of "Palestine" on "half of our land and capital city," adding: "Your country is being occupy [sic] by radical Islam! Mind your own business!"
He further drew an equivalence between Israel's military campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks and Britain's bombing of Germany during World War II, which he said killed "millions" of German civilians. "Since the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7, we have experienced nothing but hostility, antisemitism, and blood libels from your government," he wrote. "An alliance goes both ways."
The comments come against a backdrop of historical and political sensitivities surrounding the Falklands, a sparsely populated archipelago in the South Atlantic about 13,000 kilometres from Israel's coast. English captain John Strong made the first recorded landing on the islands, then unoccupied, in 1690, and Britain settled West Falkland in 1765. Argentina made its first claim to the islands in 1820, shortly after gaining independence from Spain. Britain expelled an Argentine force during the Falklands War in 1982, but the dispute has remained sensitive ever since.
Tensions were exacerbated this week when Trump said Monday that the status of the Falklands was just "one of many" issues he was reviewing when asked about the islands' sovereignty. The Independent reported that a senior US official told The Telegraph that Pentagon officials were understood to be reviewing the commitments of Nato allies to ensure they commit 5 per cent of GDP to defence spending, with the UK to get "special attention" under the assessment.
The British government has long maintained that the status of Jerusalem "should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians." Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, the UK formally recognised the State of Palestine as an independent sovereign state in September last year.
Britain has criticised Israel's tactics in Gaza, where at least 76,000 people have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza's health ministry.