Diplomatic sparring: Israel hits back after hostile moves by Australia & France

After being hit by an avalanche of criticism and hostile diplomatic moves by Western countries over the past several weeks, the Israeli Foreign Ministry decided to fight back and initiated diplomatic moves against Australia and France.

Both countries have been among the leading Western nations criticizing Israel during the last two years of war, and have escalated their hostile moves amid a campaign alleging that Israel was intentionally starving the people of the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.

They also vowed to recognize a Palestinian state, with France spearheading an international campaign for other countries to join their declaration.

On Monday, Australia decided to cancel the visa and ban Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman, citing his statements such as “Hamas must be destroyed” as the reason.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Monday evening that he had “decided to revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority.”

He wrote on 𝕏: “The Australian Ambassador to Israel was just notified on the matter. I also instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel.”

Sa’ar said that this came after Australia decided to recognize “a Palestinian state and the “unjustified refusal to grant visas to a number of Israeli figures, including former Minister Ayelet Shaked and the chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Simcha Rothman.”

“While antisemitism is raging in Australia, including manifestations of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government is choosing to fuel it by false accusations, as if the visit of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and harm Australia's Muslim population. It is shameful and unacceptable!”

On Sunday, Israel Hayom reported that Israel is considering shutting down France’s Consulate General in Jerusalem in response to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

The French Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it wasn’t aware of such a plan, threatening that it would be “particularly damaging to our bilateral relationship and would provoke a strong reaction.”

According to Israel Hayom, Sa’ar advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shut down the consulate due to France’s recent moves. The Cabinet is expected to make a formal decision after discussing the issue in upcoming meetings.

The closure of the consulate has been the subject of media debate, as France is reportedly managing its diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority through its Jerusalem consulate, which is officially designated for contacts with Israel.

According to The Times of Israel, similar arrangements are being made with the Jerusalem consulates of the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden, as they were founded before the State of Israel and continue to operate without official accreditation.