Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly criticized Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after Canberra barred Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman from entering the country.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned the Jews of Australia," Netanyahu wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter), in a response filled with diplomatic tension.
The decision, made by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, became public on Monday, just one day before Rothman's scheduled visit to Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, where he planned to meet with Jewish communities on a solidarity trip.
According to the official document, the exclusion was based on the fact that Rothman's positions "reflect his party's policies, including the goal of eliminating Hamas, extending Israeli sovereignty, and denying any crime committed by Israel in Gaza".
The text added that the lawmaker's presence could "put at risk, especially the Islamic community" in the country.
The measure sparked a wave of criticism in Israel and within the Australian Jewish community. Robert Gregory, director of the Australian Jewish Association, described the decision as "spiteful" and designed "to cause maximum harm to the Jews of Australia."
From Jerusalem, several official voices joined the condemnation. The Minister of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, stated that the measure "reflects the choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas" and defined it as "a serious attack on freedom of expression and a broken moral compass."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar replied with a forceful diplomatic gesture: he announced the revocation of the residence permits of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and warned that any future official Australian visa application to enter Israel will be subject to strict review.
"Australia, at a time when antisemitism is spreading and attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions are being recorded on its territory, has chosen to fuel that hostility with false accusations instead of fighting it," Sa'ar declared.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the Israeli response as "unjustified" and accused Netanyahu's government of "isolating Israel and undermining international efforts for peace."
The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Australia is set against a backdrop of growing global tension over the war in Gaza and opposing narratives about human rights, terrorism, and antisemitism.
