Benjamin Netanyahu has launched an extraordinary broadside against Anthony Albanese, labelling Australia’s prime minister “weak” in a social media post, hours after local Jewish groups called for calm in diplomatic relations.
“History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” read a post on X from the account of Israel’s prime minister, on Tuesday evening Australian time.
Albanese’s office was approached for comment.
It came shortly after Australia’s peak Jewish group urged composure on Tuesday as Israel’s foreign minister warned of “additional measures” against Australia amid a diplomatic “tit-for-tat” over visa cancellations.
“There are real-life consequences here and we want to see the countries work through any issues before things get out of hand,” said Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry.
The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, accused the Albanese government of “choosing to fuel” antisemitism after cancelling the visa of the far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman ahead of his planned speaking tour in Sydney and Melbourne later this week.
Sa’ar also announced he would revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, in a move labelled “unjustified” and “undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution” by Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong.
The escalating diplomatic row followed Australia’s decision earlier this month to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly in September after new commitments by the Palestinian Authority.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said while the prime minister deserved respect it was a “two-way street” and accused Albanese of making “bad decisions”.
“It is up to Anthony Albanese to explain how he is going to repair this relationship which is now in tatters as a result of his failures of leadership,” she said.
Rothman’s visa was cancelled by the home affairs department on Monday, citing “an unacceptable risk” to order in Australia and concern the member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition would make “inflammatory statements to promote his controversial views and ideologies”.
In a Hebrew-language video message shortly after his statement, Sa’ar warned Australia was “persecuting Israel” and his government would “take additional measures”.
But Jewish groups in Australia called for cooler heads to prevail in light of the countries’ “extensive economic, scientific and cultural ties”.
Ryvchin said both countries should end the “diplomatic tit-for-tat that erodes the goodwill and cooperation built up over decades”.
“Calm heads need to take control of the situation otherwise there will be a risk to some $2bn dollars in bilateral trade, extensive investment in Australian start-ups, vital security cooperation and the Israeli-made medicine and medical technology that we all rely on,” he said.
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council said while it did not agree with many of Rothman’s views, it found the decision to cancel his visa to be a “disturbing precedent”.
“It is very disappointing that Australia and Israel have regressed from a close friendship to unproductive diplomatic jousting, which of course was started by unwarranted and hostile actions by the Australian government,” the council said in a statement.
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The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told the Jewish Independent website on Tuesday that Rothman’s views were “out of step with mainstream Israeli opinion and with the values of most Australian Jews”.
But he criticised the decision to ban him, saying: “It is one thing to disagree strongly with an elected representative of a democracy and ally, it is quite another to deny them entry on that basis. Australia ought not to set such a precedent.”
The progressive Jewish Council of Australia supported the decision but questioned why Rothman had been granted a visa in the first place.
“As with Russia, members of Israel’s ruling coalition parties should already be subject to sanctions by the Australian government, including Rothman,” its spokesperson, Bart Shteinman, said.
“Israel’s aggressive decision to retaliate to Rothman’s visa refusal by expelling Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority is a major escalation in hostilities against Australia.
“If it needed any further demonstration, Israel is not interested in maintaining a relationship with the Australian government and cares little what strong words or statements it issues.”
The department cited Rothman’s previous statements as part of its decision to revoke the visa they approved on 8 August.
These included his claim in May that children within Gaza are “enemies” who should not be allowed to flee into Israel as “you don’t let them conquer your country with refugees”.
In another example cited, Rothman was reported to have said the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine had “poisoned the minds of the entire world” and was the “first step toward the destruction of the state of Israel”.
The department said that if it was publicly known that Rothman had entered Australia with the government’s permission, it “may encourage others to feel emboldened to voice any anti-Islamic sentiments”.
The right-leaning Australian Jewish Association, who invited Rothman and organised the speaking tour, said it would host an online event with Rothman on Sunday evening, stating, the “show will go on”.
Sa’ar’s decision to revoke the visas of three Australian diplomats – who are based in East Jerusalem and work in the West Bank – is expected to complicate Australia’s work with the Palestinian Authority.
The foreign affairs department is working to remove the affected representatives.
