Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the United Kingdom will lose the country if it does not regain control of its borders. The statement came in an interview with British media, referring to the migrant boats that year after year cross the English Channel from France.

In the interview with Daily Mail, Netanyahu reminded that Winston Churchill viewed Britain’s island status as a key part of the country’s defense. That advantage is no longer there, according to the Israeli prime minister, who refers to how migrant boats easily enter the country.

– I believe that if Britain does not regain control of its borders, you will lose Britain, he said.

According to Netanyahu, it is the British government’s duty to stop illegal immigration and it is possible to do so, but he believes they are not interested in it.

– There is still time for Britain to recover and regain its senses, said Netanyahu.

The question of borders came up at the end of a lengthy interview about the relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel. Netanyahu has not yet spoken with the socialist Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office in July.

The boats across the Channel

From New Year’s to September 27, 19,135 people crossed the English Channel in small boats. This is 42 percent fewer than the 32,188 who made the same journey during the corresponding period last year.

On one Wednesday in late September, a total of 781 people crossed in ten boats, the highest daily figure this year. The boats that have made it across have had an average of 67 people on board.

Since 2018, just over 200,000 people have been registered arriving by small boats across the Channel. The peak year was 2022, when around 45,800 people came to the UK that way. And so it has continued, year after year.