Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strong statement on Tuesday attacking his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, following a series of anti-Israel motions by his government and antisemitic attacks in the country.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu's criticism comes one day after Albanese's Interior Minister, Tony Burke, announced that he had revoked the visa of MK Simcha Rothman right before he was scheduled to address the Jewish community in Australia. Burke explained that the decision stemmed from Rothman’s record of remarks, which he described as spreading “hate and division.” Rothman’s visa had been approved two weeks earlier but was canceled at the last minute, barring him from entering the country for three years. Among the statements cited by Australian authorities were Rothman’s calls to “destroy Hamas,” his opposition to a Palestinian state, and his insistence that Israel must apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
Last week, the Australian Prime Minister announced that his country will officially recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. Albanese said the move is “predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” stressing that Hamas will have no role in such a state. He accused Israel of continuing to “defy international law” and described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “beyond the world’s worst dreams.”
Albanese's announcement came a week after tens of thousands marched across Sydney's Harbor Bridge in an anti-Israel demonstration dubbed the "March for Humanity." New South Wales police reported attendance reached up to 90,000, while organizers from the Palestine Action Group Sydney claimed as many as 300,000 participated. The protest proceeded following a Supreme Court ruling allowing the event, despite efforts by state authorities to block it. Participants waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans, and carried symbolic items, including pots and pans, referencing alleged hunger in Gaza. A large image of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was also displayed.
At the same time, Australia has seen record levels of antisemitic incidents. A nationwide survey conducted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) revealed that only 24% of Australians view attitudes toward Jews as positive, while 28% described them as negative. Particularly alarming findings came from New South Wales, where nearly one in four young people said they had witnessed or heard about antisemitic incidents in their local area.
Melbourne has been the site of several disturbing attacks, including an arson attempt on a synagogue while 20 worshippers were inside. Another incident saw violent protests outside Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s restaurant, involving smashed windows, thrown chairs, and chants of “Death to the IDF!”
The CAM survey, conducted between June 27 and July 1, further revealed that one in five young Australians aged 18 to 34 had witnessed or heard about antisemitic incidents. In New South Wales, the most populous of Australia’s six states, nearly one in four youths and one in five individuals aged 35 to 54 reported local antisemitic incidents.