Current Status of Australia-Israel Relations

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Australia-Israel relations, historically steadfast, appear to be quickly deteriorating.

After becoming one of the first countries to recognise Israel in 1949, shortly after its inception, Australia has regularly described itself as a “friend of Israel”.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded Anthony Albanese a “weak politician” who “betrayed Israel” and “abandoned” Australia’s Jewish community, in a post on X.

Responding to the attack, Albanese told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday he treats foreign leaders “with respect” and didn’t take Netanyahu’s description of him as “weak” personally.

“He has had similar things to say about other leaders,” Albanese said.

“There is 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.”

While such treatment from Israel against one of its long-time allies may seem uniquely harsh, some experts do not consider it an outlier.

Martin Kear, from The University of Sydney’s Department of Government and International Relations, told SBS News: “The Israeli government never accepted the diplomatic push for a two-state solution, and it will do everything in its power to hamper any realistic progress along those lines.”

Relationship ‘the worst it has ever been’

Australia and Israel’s recent tit-for-tat visa cancellations could amount to the “lowest diplomatic relationship” between the countries, Kear said.

Simcha Rothman, a politician in Israel’s fringe national religious party known as Religious Zionism, was due to start a speaking tour in Australia but was denied entry into the country. The party is part of Netanyahu’s governing coalition.

In an interview earlier this year with Britain’s Channel 4 News, Rothman denied Palestinian children in Gaza were dying of hunger due to Israel’s limitations on food and aid.

When asked by a reporter why Israel won’t let Palestinian children flee to Israel, he replied: “Because they are our enemies.”

“They are our enemies and according to international treaties about refugees in the time of war, you don’t let them conquer your country with refugees.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley accused the government of playing fast and loose with Australia’s historically close ties with Israel.

“This is an elected member of the Israeli parliament, and it’s a very unusual thing to refuse a visa. I haven’t seen explanations from Tony Burke that actually explain what is going on here,” she said.

Liberal senator James Paterson called the bilateral relationship between the two countries “the worst it has ever been since the creation of the state of Israel following World War II.”

Following Rothman’s visa cancellation, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced a decision to revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

He said it was in direct response to Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state and for refusing entry to Israeli figures.

Experts say the move — earlier described as “unjustified” by Foreign Minister Penny Wong — could complicate Australia’s efforts to help form a blueprint for statehood with local Palestinian politicians.

Israel’s visa retaliation ‘unjustified’

Although it may appear Netanyahu is singling out Australia — rarely mentioning Albanese by name or making direct comment on Australia’s foreign policy — an international relations expert said this reflects a broader pattern of behaviour.

Jessica Genauer, senior lecturer in international relations at Flinders University, told SBS News: “This is quite consistent with the way that Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to other countries around the world, in particular Western countries; countries that have traditionally been allies of the United States, deciding to recognise a state of Palestine.”

“We’ve got the UK, France, and then also Canada, who’ve said that they would be recognising a Palestinian state in September [at the United Nations General Assembly], and we’ve had criticism from Benjamin Netanyahu in those cases as well,” she said.

Notably, in August last year, Israel revoked the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian diplomats serving the occupied Palestinian Territory after it recognised a Palestinian state months earlier.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told the ABC on Tuesday: “At a time when we need more diplomacy and more dialogue between countries, it is a disappointing decision. We’re not surprised necessarily by it,” speaking of Israel’s visa retaliation against Australia’s PA representatives.

“We saw similar steps taken against other countries, for example, Norway, when a decision was taken about recognising Palestine. But our view is this is unjustified, and we need more talk, more diplomacy, more channels in for discussion than we’ve needed before,” she said.

Position ‘consistent’ with Palestinian statehood

Revoking visas for people the Australian government has raised concerns about around this topic is also not new.

In 2017, Australia blocked the visa of prominent Palestinian activist, Bassem Tamimi, just hours before he was due to travel, citing that “members of the public will react adversely to [his] presence in Australia regarding his views of the ongoing political tensions in the Middle East”.

Kear said Rothman’s visa cancellation this week is a move broadly in alignment with the stated goal of pushing for a two-state solution.

“This is a person who doesn’t recognise Palestinians exist at all, and there should never be a Palestinian state,” he said, speaking of Rothman.

While liberal democracies like Australia are required to “respect a variety of views within the public arena”, Genauer said it’s “entitled to say that they do not want extreme or divisive elements within the borders of their own territory”.

“Australia is wanting to take a little bit stronger stance towards Israel and exert pressure where they can, I think, out of concern for the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza,” she said.

Rothman has told Israeli broadcaster Arutz Sheva he believes the visa decision wasn’t made because of him, but about the state of Israel.

“It’s not banning me, it’s banning Israel, it’s banning Israelis, and it’s banning Jewish people from having debate or discourse in Australia, which is terrible,” he said.

Rothman claims the email he received from the Australian government states his visit would cause “unrest among the Muslim community in Australia”.

“The Australian government is trying to appease terror, and appeasing terror never worked and it never will work. We learned this the hard way on October 7th [2023]. Sadly, apparently, the government of Australia did not learn this lesson,” he said.

Kear said he believes Rothman’s response is consistent with the “traditional ultranationalist playbook where any criticism of Israeli politics or policies is deemed as being inherently antisemitic, where Israel is the epitome of Judaism, which is highly contested within the Jewish world”.

“I don’t think it’s a general reflection of what’s happening in Australia at all.”