Immigration Minister Tony Burke has been accused of 'double standards' after an elected Israeli politician had his visa revoked, while a controversial Muslim speaker who 'celebrated' the Hamas attacks of October 7 was allowed into Australia.
On Monday, it emerged that Australia had revoked the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman over provocative comments, including describing children in Gaza as enemies. Australia has also denied entry to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked and Israeli advocate Hillel Fuld, and imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers.
In response, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar revoked the visas of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority and instructed the Israel Embassy in Canberra to examine any official Australian visa application for entry into Israel. This prompted Foreign Minister Penny Wong to accuse Benjamin Netanyahu of 'isolating Israel'.
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Andrew Hastie said it was 'just the latest example of Tony Burke's double standards'. 'How can the Albanese Labor Government approve the visa of a Hamas supporter but deny entry to an elected politician of a friendly country?' he told the Daily Mail.
Ten days after the October 7 Hamas attacks, British commentator Sami Hamdi was filmed encouraging people to 'celebrate the victory' of the terrorist organisation. Despite this, he conducted a speaking tour across Australia last year. Before coming to Australia, Hamdi had been banned from speaking at two universities in Canada.
Additionally, controversial Muslim speaker Mohammed Ghuloom toured Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in June this year, giving talks including to primary school-age children. The Zionist Federation of Australia had warned the government that Ghuloom expressed support online for listed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, including glorifying its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
