Netanyahu made the statement in a post on the Israeli prime minister’s official X account.
The statement came after Australia decided to bar a visit from Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was to have spoken to local Jewish communities in a gesture of solidarity after a wave of antisemitic attacks.
FILE -Australian government lawmaker Sarah Witty, center left, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, center, and Jewish government lawmaker Mark Dreyfus, center right, address the media outside the East Melbourne Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, July 6, 2025, after someone set fire to the synagogue’s front door two days earlier. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk, File)
Rothman is a member of a right-wing political party but is generally considered soft-spoken and is not seen as a firebrand who provokes controversy. His views are well within the mainstream of Israeli politics.
Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman, center, celebrates with colleagues after approving a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system on the floor of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, for a vote in Jerusalem, Monday, July 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
As Breitbart News reported, Australia banned Rothman for, among other things, arguing that Israel should defeat Hamas in the ongoing war, and that Israel should exert sovereignty over territories in dispute with the Palestinians.
The Australian government’s sudden decision to revoke Rothman’s visa — on the day he was due to travel — was condemned across the Israeli political spectrum.
It also provoked an Israeli response, as the Netanyahu government revoked the residency permits of Australia’s liaisons to the Palestinian Authority, and announced a more stringent visa review process for anyone from Australia seeking to travel through Israel.
Albanese’s Labor Party has been moving in an anti-Israel direction, partly in response to vocal Muslims and far-left activists. Albanese had earlier announced an intention to recognize a Palestinian state next month. Israel and the U.S. have described such gestures as a reward for Hamas for terror and hostage-taking.
Until recently, Australia had been seen as one of the boldest Western countries and as a solid ally of Israel.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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