Benjamin Netanyahu tore into Western leaders over their threat of sanctions against Israel last night as tensions reached new highs over a planned Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister took to social media to accuse Britain's Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron and Canada's Mark Carney of complicity towards Hamas over a joint statement issued this week denouncing Israel's 'disproportionate' escalation.
The statement was welcomed by Hamas, who described the stance as 'an important step' in the right direction toward restoring the principles of international law.
But Netanyahu hit back, writing on X late on Thursday: 'I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice.'
'You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history.'
Netanyahu took aim at the three leaders in the wake of a fatal attack on two Israeli embassy workers in Washington on Wednesday evening. The suspect yelled. 'Free, free Palestine' after he was arrested, police said.
The attack was seen by officials in Israel and the U.S. as the latest in a growing wave of antisemitism as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Plans for a major offensive, codenamed Gideon's Chariots, includes measures to flatten 'all infrastructure' above and below ground and move virtually 2.3 million people to what Israel has termed a 'humanitarian area'.
The Netanyahu government faces mounting pressure from both allies and domestic voters over its conduct in the war in Gaza. Critics have accused Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' and 'genocide' in Gaza, charges roundly denied by Netanyahu.
'[Hamas] don't want a Palestinian state,' Netanyahu asserted in a post on X on Thursday. 'They want to destroy the Jewish state. They want to annihilate the Jewish people, who have been in the Land of Israel for 3,500 years.'
'I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others. They are now proposing to establish a Palestinian state and reward these murderers with the ultimate prize.'
'Well for 18 years we had a de facto Palestinian state. It's called Gaza. And what did we get? Peace? No. We got the most savage slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.'
He later continued: 'Now, these leaders may think that they're advancing peace. They're not. They're emboldening Hamas to continue fighting forever. And they give them hope to establish a second Palestinian state from which Hamas will again seek to destroy the Jewish state.'
'And mind you, it's not going to be a state free of Hamas. When you establish a Palestinian state, we've seen it, the radicals take over. Iran sends them in and they take over. So don't give us this talk, 'It'll be a peaceful Palestinian state'. It won't be.'
The statement signed on Monday by the leaders of Britain, France and Canada argued in favour of a ceasefire and a pathway towards a two-state solution. It was something the Biden administration had also argued for.
The Trump administration, however, has been less critical of Israeli policy in Gaza. Officials say White House envoy Steve Witkoff has told other mediators that Washington does not plan to force Israel to end the war.
Britain, France and Canada took a different stance, threatening Israel with 'further concrete actions' unless it ceases its renewed military offensive in Gaza.
Criticism levelled at the planned offensive in Gaza in recent days has been largely obscured by polarisation around the conflict.
Polls showed some two thirds of Israelis still oppose a major operation to occupy Gaza, and most of the families of hostages believe the operation would endanger their relatives.
No hostages have been released since the conflict resumed and critics in Israel continue to lobby for a ceasefire to ensure the safe return of dozens of captives.
Political opponents and hostage advocates have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political purposes, which he denies.
Israel's ground and air war in Gaza has left much of the Palestinian enclave in ruin, displaced nearly all residents and killed more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
The brutal gunning down of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, a young couple on the verge of becoming engaged, threatens to stoke the conflict at a precarious time.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, told police after his arrest, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,' federal authorities said on Thursday, as they announced criminal charges.
Sir Keir described the shooting as 'antisemitic'.
He said: 'I thoroughly condemn the antisemitic attack outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC.
'Antisemitism is an evil we must stamp out wherever it appears.
'My thoughts are with their colleagues, family and loved ones, and as always, I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.'
Mr Lammy told the Commons: 'Civilians in Gaza facing starvation, homelessness, trauma desperate for this war to end.'
Downing Street said the Prime Minister 'stands in solidarity with the Jewish community here in the UK', adding the Government has offered its 'full support to the Israeli embassy in London'.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'As you know, we continue to provide around £18 million a year in funding for protective security measures for Jewish community sites in the UK.'
The Government's approach towards Israel's actions in Gaza will not change as a result of the killings, the spokesman indicated, but he said this 'does not take away at all from the fact that antisemitism is an evil that must be stamped out wherever it appears'.
On Tuesday, the Government suspended trade deal talks with Israel, sanctioned West Bank settlers and summoned the country's ambassador; while Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Israel’s actions as ‘monstrous’.