He made the statement on Monday in Israel – soon after 9pm on Monday, AEST.
Wong responded within four hours of Israel’s move by issuing a statement at about 12:45am on Tuesday, AEST, saying it was an unjustified reaction after Australia chose to recognise Palestine.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing that Australia will recognise a Palestinian state last Monday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“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.
“We will continue to work with partners as we contribute international momentum to a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and release of the hostages.
“Australia welcomes different races, religions and views, united by respect for each other’s humanity and for each other’s right to live in peace. We safeguard our communities and protect all Australians from hate and harm.
“The Australian government will always take decisive action against antisemitism.”
Australia’s ambassador to Israel, career diplomat Ralph King, was told of the decision a short while before Sa’ar took to social media to make it public, according to The Times of Israel.
The Australian Representative to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Bethany Randell, is based in Ramallah in the West Bank, the home of the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The revocation of an Israeli visa would present significant challenges to doing this work.
Communication with Abbas was a key factor in the deliberations before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood on August 11. Albanese held a call with Abbas in the days before the decision, and said the foreign policy shift was predicated on commitments from the Palestinian leader about holding elections and accepting the right of Israel to exist.
The Australian move on Palestine infuriated the Israeli government, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “shameful” decision, and came at a time when Australia had banned some Israeli visitors.
Wong imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli ministers on June 11, saying Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich had incited extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Last November, the Australian government rejected a visa application from former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked when she planned to speak at events hosted by the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council. Shaked is a former MP for the far-right Yamina party.
Rothman, a member of the Religious Zionist Party and a member of the Knesset, was denied entry to Australia after planning to speak at events in Sydney and Melbourne this month.
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke made the decision on the grounds that Rothman would spread division. Rothman has joined other politicians in arguing that Palestinians should leave Gaza.
“Any refugee from Gaza who wants a solution shouldn’t be held there,” he told the BBC in the weeks after the October 7 attacks in 2023, when Hamas killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and took others hostage.
Rothman told The Jerusalem Post that the Australian government decision on Monday was “blatant and obvious antisemitism” and gave a “tailwind” to terror.
The Israeli foreign minister named the treatment of Rothman and Shaked as grounds for his decision to cancel visas for Australian representatives, as well as naming the Australian decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
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