Israel’s prime minister accused his Australian counterpart of having “betrayed Israel” and “abandoned” Australia’s Jewish community, after days of increasingly strained relations between the two countries.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that history would remember Anthony Albanese “for what he is: a weak politician”.
It came after Australia barred a far-right member of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition from entering the country on Monday, with his visa cancelled ahead of a planned visit.
Israel in turn revoked the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, also blaming Canberra’s announcement last week that it would recognise a Palestinian state in September.
There was no immediate response from Prime Minister Albanese.
Israel’s opposition leader criticised Netanyahu’s remarks, branding them a “gift” to the Australian leader.
Yair Lapid wrote on X: “The thing that most strengthens a leader in the democratic world today is a confrontation with Netanyahu, the most politically toxic leader in the Western world.
“It is unclear why Bibi is rushing to give the Prime Minister of Australia this gift.”
Diplomatic tensions flared on Monday after far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman’s Australian visa was cancelled ahead of a visit to the country, where he had been due to speak at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association.
Australia’s home affairs minister told Sky News at the time the government took “a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division”.
Tony Burke added: “If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here.”
A few hours later, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said he had “instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel”.
He added in a post on X: “While antisemitism is raging in Australia, including manifestations of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government is choosing to fuel it”.
There have been a string of antisemitic attacks in Australia in recent months, amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
Australia announced in early August that it would recognise a Palestinian state, with Prime Minister Albanese saying at the time that Netanyahu was “in denial” about the consequences of the war on innocent people.
“The stopping of aid that we’ve seen and then the loss of life that we’re seeing around those aid distribution points, where people queuing for food and water are losing their lives, is just completely unacceptable,” he said.
The announcement followed similar moves by the UK, France and Canada.
In response, Netanyahu launched a scathing attack on the leaders of the three countries, accusing Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney of siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”.
The state of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states.
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