Jerusalem, 18 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has revoked the visas of Australian representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority, delivering notice to the Australian Ambassador in Jerusalem on Monday, the Foreign Ministry announced.
In addition, Sa’ar instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to scrutinize any official Australian visa applications to Israel.
The move came after Canberra barred Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman from visiting Australia hours before he was scheduled to depart.
Sa’ar condemned Australia’s actions, saying the government is “choosing to fuel antisemitism” despite widespread violence against Jews and Jewish institutions in the country. He added that Israeli dignitaries were falsely accused of disrupting public order and harming Australia’s Muslim population.
Rothman released a statement blasting the decision as surrender to “the antisemitism raging in the streets of Australia.” He said the Jewish community had invited him for a “solidarity visit” and argued that the visa rejection was tied to the Knesset’s recent non-binding resolution supporting annexation of Judea and Samaria. “The State of Israel must teach the entire world, including the Australian government, how to fight terrorism and not surrender to it — because surrendering to terrorism leads to more terrorism,” he said.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli tied the ban to Australia’s recent announcement that it will recognize a Palestinian state, saying the visa cancellation was “a direct extension” of Canberra’s “disgraceful choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas.” In English on X, he described the decision as “a broken moral compass, discrimination, and a grave assault on free speech.”
According to the Australian Jewish Association, which invited Rothman, the MK was due to speak at Jewish schools and synagogues and meet with victims of antisemitic attacks.
“This is a viciously antisemitic move from a government that is obsessed with targeting the Jewish community and Israel,” AJA head Robert Gregory said, adding that many Australian Jews were now considering emigration. “Israel is fully justified in taking strong measures in response to this and we have briefed contacts in the Trump Administration who are also concerned about events in Australia.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended the decision, telling The Guardian, “Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division. If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here.”
The move follows Australia’s cancellation of visas for pro-Israel activist Hillel Fuld in June and former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked last year. Smotrich was sanctioned by Australia, Canada, and the UK earlier this summer for allegedly “inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
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