Australia says Netanyahu gov’t is ‘isolating Israel’ & ‘undermining peace efforts’ after FM Sa’ar cancels diplomat visas

The exchange of blows between Australia and Israel continued on Monday, as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong accused Israel of isolating itself after the visas of Australian diplomats were canceled.

The move came in response to Australia canceling the visa of Israeli Knesset Member Simcha Rothman and banning him from traveling to the country for three years.

Later on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back again, writing on his official X account that “history will remember [Prime Minister] Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”

Over the past years, the Labor-led government of Anthony Albanese has taken a hostile stance toward Israel, banning several Israeli figures from entering Australia, sanctioning ministers and vowing to recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decided to “revoke the residency visas of Australia’s representatives to the Palestinian Authority,” vowing Israel would “take further steps.”

According to Israel Hayom, these are three officially registered diplomats who reside in Israel and are tasked with maintaining relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The diplomats' visas were revoked effective immediately, and they were instructed to leave the country as soon as possible, taking into account technical necessities. A senior Israeli official clarified, “We’re talking about days, not weeks.”

Wong criticized Israel's move as an “unjustified reaction.”

“At a time when dialogue and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu Government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution,” she said in a statement.

Despite Israel canceling their visas, Wong vowed that Australia would continue its efforts toward “a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and release of the hostages.”

David Littleproud, an Australian opposition politician and leader of the "Nationals" party, told Sky News that the tit-for-tat measures were “another diplomatic failure by the Albanese government, predicated on ideology.”

Albanese has publicly criticized specific Israeli policies, particularly concerning Gaza and settlement expansion, and has announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood next month at the UN General Assembly, marking a shift in Australia’s diplomatic posture.

“This is a worrying, a worrying development that I think [Interior Minister] Tony Burke firstly needs to give the full list of reasons as to why this visa was cancelled,” he said. “This is what happens in the real world, and we're not isolated from it. And it's important to understand that we need to have good diplomatic relations with Israel.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, criticized the Israeli government’s response to numerous countries declaring their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, ahead of a planned discussion of the issue on Monday evening.

“The extremist ministers have a variety of proposals that will only make the diplomatic collapse much worse than it already is (and it's already the worst diplomatic and public relations failure ever),” Lapid charged.

“But instead, here is a practical proposal that would actually improve the situation: the government should announce that it accepts the part of the statement in which 22 Arab states called on Hamas to lay down its arms and leave Gaza – and that it would be happy to discuss everything else once that happens.”