Tony Burke has lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli Prime Minister called Anthony Albanese a ‘weak leader’, with the Immigration Minister claiming ‘strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up’.
Netanyahu took to X on Tuesday evening to brand the Australian Prime Minister ‘weak’, accusing him of ‘betraying Israel’ over the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
‘History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,’ Netanyahu wrote.
But, in a significant deepening of the diplomatic rift between the two countries, Burke hit back on Wednesday morning, claiming that ‘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,’ Burke told ABC Radio.
Burke said that Albanese had made clear to the Israeli PM that Australia was going to move to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN next month.
But he said that it came with strict conditions, including the promise that Hamas would not play any role in the future Palestinian state.
‘(Albanese acted) without in any way compromising the long standing view that every hostage needs to be released, without compromising the view that Hamas is a terrorist organisation which must play no role in a future Palestinian state,’ Burke added.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) took to X on Tuesday evening to brand the Australian Prime Minister ‘weak’, accusing him of ‘betraying Israel ‘ over the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood
Tony Burke said that Albanese had shown strength by making it clear to the Israeli PM that Australia was going to move to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN next month
‘But to say to the Palestinian people who at the moment must be feeling so invisible to the world, to say, “you are not invisible, we see you, we will recognise you, and that we will take the action that Australia has always believed needed”.’
The diplomatic tit-for-tat intensified on Monday when it was revealed Burke had revoked the visas of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman over some of his provocative comments including describing children in Gaza as enemies.
Australia had 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.
More to come.
