Latest news with #IsraelAustraliaRelations
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Row between Israel and Australia descends into personal insults as Netanyahu calls Albanese ‘weak'
Australia 's government has pushed back against Israel 's scathing tirade against prime minister Anthony Albanese after Benjamin Netanyahu called him 'weak' and accused him of betraying the country's Jewish community. Relations between the two countries have plummeted amid Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, with Australia announcing last week that it would join the UK, France and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly next month. Israel has since revoked the accreditation of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority, after Australia's home minister cancelled the visa of a prominent far-right Israeli politician, accusing him of intending to 'spread a message of hate'. Now the row has become personal, with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashing out at Mr Albanese in an unusually pointed public missive. On X, Mr Netanyahu's office wrote: 'History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.' Responding to the remark, Mr Burke said on Wednesday: 'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many people you can leave hungry.' 'Strength is much better measured by exactly what prime minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu,' he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Mr Albanese on Wednesday afternoon said he would not take Mr Netanyahu's comments personally, arguing that Mr Netanyahu has said similar things about other leaders. 'We had a long discussion prior to the cabinet meeting which was held last Monday morning. At that time, I gave prime minister Netanyahu a clear indication of my view and Australia's view going forward … I gave him the opportunity to outline what political solution there was,' he told reporters. 'I don't take these things personally. I engage with people diplomatically, he [Netanyahu] has had similar things to say about other leaders.' It has emerged that Mr Netanyahu also sent a letter Mr Albanese on Monday, saying the Australian government was pouring 'fuel on this antisemitic fire', and condemned the decision to recognise a Palestinian state. "It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement," the letter read, dated 17 August and shared publicly by the Australian Jewish Association. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday said Mr Netanyahu's comments to Mr Albanese were a "gift" for Australia. "The thing that strengthens a leader in the democratic world today most is a confrontation with Netanyahu, the most politically toxic leader in the Western world," he said in a social media post. Mr Burke defended his decision to cancel Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman's visa, saying it was to protect Palestinian and Muslim Australians, not Hamas. 'If anyone wanted to come on a public speech tour, and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa,' Mr Burke said. 'I am going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people.' Australia has joined the growing list of countries recognising the state of Palestine, potentially becoming the 147th out of 193 UN member states to do so. The move follows similar announcements in recent weeks by the UK, France and Canada. Mr Netanyahu accused the leaders of those three nations – Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney – of siding with ' mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers.' According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive on 7 October. The campaign was triggered by the Hamas-led attack that day, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Netanyahu brands Australia's Albanese ‘weak' over Palestinian state recognition
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has brushed off accusations from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that the Australian leader is a 'weak politician who had betrayed Israel' by recognising a Palestinian state. Mr Netanyahu's extraordinary public rebuke came after an August 11 announcement by Mr Albanese that his government's recognition of a Palestinian state will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Advertisement The announcement was followed by tit-for-tat cancellations of Australian and Israeli visas. 'History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews,' Mr Yetanyahu posted on social media. Benjamin Netanyahu (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) Mr Albanese responded pointedly on Wednesday: 'I treat leaders of other countries with respect. I engage with them in a diplomatic way.' 'I don't take these things personally,' Albanese added. Advertisement 'Increasingly there is global concern and global concern because people want to see an end to the cycle of violence that we have seen for far too long. That is what Australians want to see as well.' Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke further inflamed Israel's anger by cancelling the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Mr Netanyahu's coalition, who planned an Australian speaking tour. Mr Rothman is a member of the Religious Zionism party, which supports continuation of the war, the mass relocation of Palestinians through what it describes as voluntary migration and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza. Mr Burke on Wednesday accused Mr Netanyahu of 'lashing out' against Australia as he had done against Britain, Canada, France, Ireland, Norway and Spain over recognition of a Palestinian state. Advertisement Mr Burke denied Mr Albanese was weak. 'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,' Mr Burke told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar retaliated on Monday for Mr Rothman's treatment by revoking visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority. Mr Saar also told the Israeli Embassy in Australia to 'carefully examine' any official visa applications from Australia to Israel. Advertisement Australian foreign minister Penny Wong responded by accusing the Netanyahu government of isolating Israel. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry – the nation's peak advocacy group, said the Jewish community was 'profoundly disturbed and concerned by the rapidly deteriorating state of relations' between the two countries. Australian Jews did not feel 'abandoned' by the Albanese government, rejecting Mr Netanyahu's accusation, Mr Ryvchin said. 'When allies speak, they should speak frankly, robustly, but also in a dignified way, and I think firing off tweets which contain elements of abuse to them,' Mr Ryvchin said. Advertisement 'I don't think that's the way to operate.' Australia is an increasingly multicultural country where more than half the population was born overseas or has at least one foreign parent. There is widespread community concern over the Israel-Hamas war, indicated by tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marching over the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month. Antisemitism has reached unprecedented levels across Australia, which the government acknowledged last year by appointing the nation's first special envoy to combat antisemitism, Sydney lawyer Jillian Segal. Australia's conservative opposition party has pledged to reverse Australia's recognition of Palestine if it wins the next election, which is due in 2028.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Netanyahu brands Australia's Albanese 'weak' over Palestinian state recognition
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday brushed off accusations from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that the Australian leader is a 'weak politician who had betrayed Israel' by recognizing a Palestinian state. Netanyahu's extraordinary public rebuke came after an Aug. 11 announcement by Albanese that his government's recognition of a Palestinian state will be formalized at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The announcement was followed by tit-for-tat cancellations of Australian and Israeli visas. 'History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews,' Yetanyahu posted on social media Tuesday. Albanese responded pointedly Wednesday: 'I treat leaders of other countries with respect. I engage with them in a diplomatic way.' 'I don't take these things personally,' Albanese said. 'Increasingly there is global concern and global concern because people want to see an end to the cycle of violence that we have seen for far too long. That is what Australians want to see as well.' Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke further inflamed Israel's anger Monday by cancelling the visa of far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman, a member of Netanyahu's coalition, who planned an Australian speaking tour. Rothman is a member of the Religious Zionism party, which supports continuation of the war, the mass relocation of Palestinians through what it describes as voluntary migration and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza. Burke on Wednesday accused Netanyahu of 'lashing out' against Australia as he had done against Britain, Canada, France, Ireland, Norway and Spain over recognition of a Palestinian state. Burke denied Albanese was weak. 'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,' Burke told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar retaliated Monday for Rothman's treatment by revoking visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority. Saar also told the Israeli Embassy in Australia to 'carefully examine' any official visa applications from Australia to Israel. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong responded by accusing the Netanyahu government of isolating Israel. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the nation's peak advocacy group, said the Jewish community was 'profoundly disturbed and concerned by the rapidly deteriorating state of relations' between the two countries. Australian Jews did not feel 'abandoned' by the Albanese government, rejecting Netanyahu's accusation, Ryvchin said. 'When allies speak, they should speak frankly, robustly, but also in a dignified way, and I think firing off tweets which contain elements of abuse to them," Ryvchin said. 'I don't think that's the way to operate.' Australia is an increasingly multicultural country where more than half the population was born overseas or has at least one foreign parent. There is widespread community concern over the Israel-Hamas war, indicated by tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marching over the Sydney Harbor Bridge earlier this month. Antisemitism has reached unprecedented levels across Australia, which the government acknowledged last year by appointing the nation's first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Sydney lawyer Jillian Segal. Australia's conservative opposition party has pledged to reverse Australia's recognition of Palestine if it wins the next election, which is due in 2028. The worsening bilateral relationship with Israel was spilling over into Australia's relationship with the United States, an important ally that doesn't recognize a Palestinian state, opposition leader Sussan Ley said. 'The prime minister needs to explain how he is going to get this relationship (with Israel) that he has so badly mismanaged back on track,' Ley told reporters.
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Australia lashes Netanyahu over 'weak' leader outburst
For decades, Australia has considered itself a close friend of Israel, but the relationship has swiftly unravelled since Canberra announced last week it would recognise a Palestinian state. Netanyahu drastically escalated a war of words on Tuesday night, calling his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "weak politician who betrayed Israel". Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday it was the sign of a frustrated leader "lashing out". "Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry," Burke told national broadcaster ABC. "What we've seen with some of the actions they are taking is a continued isolation of Israel from the world, and that is not in their interests either." Through the 1950s, Australia was a refuge for Jews fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust. The city of Melbourne at one point housed, per capita, the largest population of Holocaust survivors anywhere outside of Israel. Netanyahu was infuriated when Australia declared it would recognise Palestinian statehood next month, following similar pledges from France, Canada and the United Kingdom. In the space of nine days since that decision, relations between Australia and Israel have plummeted. 'Abandoned Australia's Jews' Australia on Monday cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman -- a member of Netanyahu's governing coalition -- saying his planned speaking tour would "spread division". The tit-for-tat continued on Tuesday, when Israel retaliated by revoking visas held by Canberra's diplomatic representatives to the Palestinian Authority. Then came Netanyahu's social media outburst. "History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," he said on X. Israel finds itself increasingly isolated as it continues to wage war in Gaza, a conflict triggered by the October 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has severely restricted the entry of humanitarian aid. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said last week that Netanyahu had "lost the plot". Relations between Australia and Israel started fraying late last year following a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Netanyahu accused the Australian government of harbouring "anti-Israel sentiment" after a synagogue was firebombed in December.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Read the scathing letter Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Anthony Albanese
A letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has surfaced, sent just days before he launched a scathing public attack on Anthony Albanese, accusing the Australian Prime Minister of having 'abandoned Australia's Jews'. On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu took to social media to denounce Albanese as 'weak' and claimed he had 'betrayed Israel'. He wrote: 'History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.' Following Netenyahu's comments, minister for home affairs Tony Burke snapped back. 'Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many people you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision we know Israel won't like he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu.' The attack follows Israel's decision to revoke the visas of Australian diplomats who engage with the Palestinian Authority. This was in retaliation for Australia's announcement to recognise Palestine as a state and its cancellation of visas for several far-right Israeli politicians, including Simcha Rothman and Ayelet Shaked. Before the public attack on Australia's prime minister, Netanyahu had sent Albanese a strongly worded letter on August 17, condemning him for failing to address what he described as an 'epidemic' of antisemitism that had 'intensified' under his leadership. 'Prime Minister, antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025,' Mr Netanyahu writes in the letter. The Israeli PM claimed Australia's announcement to support a move to recognise a state of Palestine 'rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas' s refusal to free the hostages', 'emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets.' 'It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement,' Netanyahu wrote in the letter. 'Following Hamas's savage attack on the people of Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Hamas extremists and left-wing radicals began a campaign of intimidation, vandalism and violence against Jews across the free world,' Mr Netanyahu wrote to Mr Albanese. 'In Australia, that campaign has intensified under your watch.' He went on to highlight several acts of anti-semitism against the Jewish community in Australia. 'In June, vandals defaced a historic Melbourne synagogue with graffiti praising Iran and calling to 'Free Palestine',' Mr Netanyahu wrote. 'In July, arsonists targeted the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation during Shabbat dinner, forcing twenty worshippers to flee for their lives. 'That same night, masked rioters stormed an Israeli-owned restaurant in central Melbourne, destroying property, hurling furniture and shouting 'Death to the IDF'. These are not isolated incidents. This is an epidemic.' For examples of how Albanese could support Israel, Netanyahu pointed to the US, and went on to praise president Donald Trump. 'As President Trump has shown, antisemitism can and must be confronted,' he states. 'The President is protecting the civil rights of American Jews, enforcing the law, protecting public order and prosecuting antisemitic crimes. He has also deported Hamas sympathizers and revoked the visas of foreign students who incite violence against Jews.' At the end of the tense letter, Netanyahu told Albanese: 'History will not forgive hesitation. It will honour action.' On Monday, it emerged that Australia had revoked the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman over some of his provocative comments including describing children in Gaza as enemies. Australia has also denied entry to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked, based on anti-Palestinian comments, and Israeli advocate Hillel Fuld. In response, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the visas of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority had been revoked. He also instructed the Israel Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry into Israel. The diplomatic tit-for-tat prompted Foreign Minister Penny Wong to accuse Benjamin Netanyahu of 'isolating Israel'.
