Australia rebukes Netanyahu over weak leader comments
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke responded directly to Netanyahu's comments on Wednesday. Burke stated that strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.
He characterized Netanyahu's outburst as the sign of a frustrated leader lashing out. The minister further noted that Israel's actions continue to isolate the country from the international community.
Netanyahu's criticism came via social media platform X on Tuesday night. He called Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.
The relationship between the two historically allied nations has deteriorated rapidly. Australia's announcement to recognize Palestinian statehood follows similar moves by France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Diplomatic tensions escalated further this week with visa cancellations. Australia revoked the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Netanyahu's coalition government.
Israel retaliated by revoking visas for Australian diplomatic representatives to the Palestinian Authority. These developments occurred within a nine-day period following Australia's statehood decision.
Australia has long considered itself a close friend of Israel since the 1950s. The country served as a refuge for Jews fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust during that period.
Melbourne once housed the largest per capita population of Holocaust survivors outside Israel. This historical context makes the current diplomatic rift particularly significant.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has increased Israel's international isolation. UN-backed experts warn of widespread famine in the territory due to restricted humanitarian aid.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently stated that Netanyahu had lost the plot. Relations between Australia and Israel began fraying late last year following anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
Netanyahu previously accused Australia of harboring anti-Israel sentiment after a synagogue firebombing in December. The current exchange represents the most serious diplomatic confrontation between the two nations in recent history. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
UNIFIL, Lebanese army discover Hezbollah tunnels in S. Lebanon
BEIRUT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army discovered two Hezbollah military tunnels in separate areas of southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to Lebanese sources. UNIFIL peacekeepers found a 50-meter-long tunnel and unexploded munitions near the town of Al-Qusayr during a field operation coordinated with the Lebanese army, UNIFIL said in a statement, adding that all findings were handed to the Lebanese army in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In a separate incident, a source from the Lebanese army told Xinhua that the army discovered another Hezbollah tunnel on Litani River banks, west of the village of Deir Mimas, and that army engineering units are clearing the tunnel in preparation for its detonation at a later time. Meanwhile, Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that Israeli forces on Wednesday fired four illumination shells into the Hermon area opposite the villages of Yaroun and Rmeish in the Bint Jbeil district, aiming to ignite fires in the area. Since Nov. 27, 2024, a U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has formally been in effect, ending more than a year of cross-border clashes. The agreement stipulated Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but the Israeli army has maintained several posts along the border and continues to launch attacks, citing "threats" from Hezbollah. On Monday, the Israeli army reportedly established a new military post in the border region of southern Lebanon.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Military drone suspected in overnight blast near Warsaw
WARSAW: Polish authorities confirmed on Wednesday that an overnight explosion in the country's eastern region may have involved a military drone of unknown origin. Police received reports of a blast occurring in a cornfield near the village of Osiny, located approximately 100 kilometres from the capital Warsaw. The incident site lies in close proximity to both the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders. No casualties resulted from the explosion, though nearby buildings sustained broken windows from the blast impact. Regional prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz stated that preliminary conclusions indicate the object was most likely a military drone. He clarified that investigators cannot currently determine the drone's origin or flight path. The Polish army officially confirmed that no violation of Polish airspace was detected during the previous night. Polish media outlets, citing defence ministry sources, suggested the object could have been a Russian Gerbera drone variant commonly used as a decoy in attacks against Ukraine. This incident follows a 2023 event where a Russian missile entered Polish airspace near the Ukrainian border during a Russian offensive. In 2022, a Ukrainian air defence missile landed on the Polish village of Przewodow near the border, resulting in two civilian fatalities. – AFP
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Jordan FM says Israel killing all prospects for regional peace
MOSCOW: Jordan's foreign minister declared on Wednesday that Israel's military assault on Gaza has resulted in massacres and widespread starvation while systematically destroying any possibility for regional peace. His statement followed Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz authorising plans to capture Gaza City, a densely populated urban area housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the northern part of the territory. The United Nations confirms that most of Gaza's population has been displaced since the conflict began, with many families forced to relocate multiple times. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi addressed Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during their Moscow meeting by expressing hope to discuss efforts to end the aggression on Gaza, and the massacres and starvation that it is creating. He further emphasised the destructive impact of illegal measures that continue to undermine the two-state solution and kill all prospects for peace in the region. Safadi acknowledged Russia's diplomatic stance by telling Lavrov we value your clear position against the war and your demand for reaching a permanent ceasefire. Israel maintains that its military does not target civilians and denies implementing any policy of starvation within Gaza. The Israeli government's expansion of military operations has provoked widespread international condemnation and sparked significant domestic protests. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. – AFP
