Australia barred far-right Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman from visiting the country for a series of appearances, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Monday, accusing the politician of intending to “spread division.”
Israel later responded in anger, revoking the residency visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority and implementing other steps.
Rothman, a far-right lawmaker, had been slated to make a series of appearances at Jewish schools and synagogues and meet with victims of a recent wave of antisemitic attacks, according to the Australian Jewish Association, which invited him and confirmed that Rothman’s visa had been cancelled.
“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here,” Burke said. “Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe.”
As an automatic condition of the visa cancellation, Rothman is unable to travel to Australia for three years.
It was unclear which, if any, specific actions or comments by Rothman had triggered the move by Canberra.
However, in a statement, Rothman said the decision was “a surrender to terrorism and antisemitism that is rampant on the streets of Australia,” and had been made due to the Knesset’s vote last month to pass a motion in favor of annexing the West Bank, a symbolic move by the parliament that is non-binding.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke attends a press conference in Jakarta on December 3, 2024 (BAY ISMOYO / AFP)
He also said that he had been invited to speak as his views “reflect the mainstream of Israeli society: that Hamas has shown that Israel must defeat it, and that a Palestinian state poses a danger to the existence of the State of Israel.”
Rothman claimed in an interview with the Kan public broadcaster on Monday that the Australian government was “threatened by Islamist jihadists about what will happen if I am allowed to visit, and so instead of worrying about public order, instead of standing firm against terror, they surrendered to terror.”
According to the AJA, the visa was canceled hours before Rothman was slated to fly to Australia.
“This is a viciously antisemitic move from a government that is obsessed with targeting the Jewish community and Israel,” AJA head Robert Gregory said in a statement posted online by the group, which describes itself as a center-right organization.
Gregory said Jews should think twice before visiting Australia, claiming that increasing numbers of Australian Jews are looking into emigrating.
“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,” he added.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) and members of the local Jewish community visiting the torched Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 10, 2024. (DEPARTMENT OF PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET / AFP)
Hours after the announcement, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decided to revoke the residency visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority, according to a statement from his spokesperson.
In addition, Sa’ar instructed Israel’s embassy in Canberra “to carefully examine every official Australian visa request for entry into Israel,” the statement added.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar addresses a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart at the Foreign Ministry in Vilnius on July 1, 2025. (Petras Malukas / AFP)
The decisions, which were presented to the Australian ambassador a short while ago, “come in response to Australia’s decisions to recognize a ‘Palestinian state’” in September, as well as its refusal earlier today, “without any justification, to grant entry visas to a series of Israeli figures, among them former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman,” the statement continued.
“At a time when antisemitism in Australia is running rampant — including incidents of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions — the Australian government has chosen to inflame it further, by falsely claiming that visits by Israeli figures would disturb public order and harm Australia’s Muslim population,” Sa’ar added in the statement.
Coalition condemnation
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned Australia’s decision on X, calling it “a historical stain and a shame for the Australian government” and criticizing what he calls “the gloating cries of Israeli left-wing activists, the collaborators of Hamas, and those who defame Israel worldwide.”
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, also in a post on X in English, argued that barring Rothman from entry is “a direct extension of [Australia’s] disgraceful choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas,” reflecting “a broken moral compass, discrimination, and a grave assault on free speech.”
He warned that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is “wrong to think appeasement of Islamist terror will advance Australia” and said such policies risk following “Britain’s disastrous path.” It was unclear exactly what Chikli was referring to with regards to the UK.
Rothman, who heads the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, is one of the architects of the controversial overhaul of the judicial system being pushed by the Israeli government.
He is a member of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party. In June, Smotrich and Ben Gvir were both sanctioned by Australia, alongside the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, for having “incited extremist violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Smotrich openly calls for the resettlement of Gaza and said in May that Israel will not withdraw from the Strip even if there is another hostage deal, telling Israelis to embrace the word “occupation.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman hold a press conference in the Knesset, March 21, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Canberra has taken an increasingly critical stance toward Israel in recent weeks, including announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month, alongside a number of other Western nations.
There are also tensions between the government and Australia’s Jewish community amid a wave of antisemitic attacks.
In June, Australia barred pro-Israel activist and influencer Hillel Fuld because his presence would constitute a risk to “health, safety or good order,” Burke’s office said at the time.
Last year, it blocked former justice minister Ayelet Shaked for similar reasons.
In July, Canberra canceled US rapper Kanye West’s visa over his song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Ariela Karmel contributed to this report.