Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a fierce attack on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, labelling him a “weak politician” who “betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews”. The post on social media came shortly after Israel’s foreign minister warned of further measures against Australia amid a diplomatic row over visa cancellations and Palestinian recognition.
The dispute escalated when Australia cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was due to speak in Sydney and Melbourne. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the Albanese government of “choosing to fuel” antisemitism and announced he would revoke visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the move “unjustified” and said it undermined peace efforts.
The row follows Australia’s decision earlier this month to support Palestinian statehood at the UN. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, criticised Albanese’s leadership, saying the relationship was “in tatters” and demanding he explain how he would repair it.
Australian Jewish groups urged calm. Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry warned that the tit-for-tat threatened $2bn in bilateral trade, security cooperation, and medical technology. The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council called the visa cancellation a “disturbing precedent”, while the Zionist Federation of Australia criticised the ban despite disagreeing with Rothman’s views. The progressive Jewish Council of Australia supported the decision, questioning why the visa was granted initially.
