British Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to discuss a variety of commercial issues, with Hancock also making clear his government’s opposition to boycotts of Israel.

Prior to their meeting, Netanyahu thanked the British minister and his delegation for their visit to Israel in the face of what he described as modern anti-Semitism against the Jewish state.

He drew parallels between the historic accusation of well-poisoning (murdering children in order to drink their blood) and the allegations made against Israel today.

“Now, the modern anti-Semitism attacks not only individual Jews but the nation collectively, and the story that they used to blame the Jews for hundreds of years is the same as the stories that are used to blame the Jewish state,” he said.