Australia defends Anthony Albanese after Israeli leader’s attacks

JACOB GREBER, POLITICAL EDITOR:  An ugly war of words between two nations that have stood side-by-side since Israel’s creation in 1948.

TONY BURKE, HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER:  Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. 

JACOB GREBER:  Today the Home Affairs Minister lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister’s bold attack on social media damning Anthony Albanese as “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”

TONY BURKE:  Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done which is when there is a decision that we know Israel won’t like he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu. 

JACOB GREBER:  In other words, according to Tony Burke, the Israeli Prime Minister is shunning norms of diplomacy and Netanyahu’s increasingly being blamed for isolating Israel from its traditional supporters.

ALEX RYVCHIN, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN JEWRY:  When allies speak, they should speak frankly, robustly but also in a dignified way and I think firing off tweets which contain elements of abuse to them, I don’t think that’s the way to operate.

JACOB GREBER:  Alex Ryvchin, from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, is worried about the fractured relationship.

ALEX RYVCHIN:  It pits the two countries as rivals or it creates a sense of animosity between them which has never been the case historically, there’s been disagreement on matters of policy but always conducted in a dignified, respective, substantive manner.

JACOB GREBER:  The Netanyahu and Albanese governments have drifted apart as the war grinds on. 

But it was this month’s decision by cabinet to recognise a Palestinian state that triggered a historic rupture.

Now Israel has withdrawn the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority and Tony Burke has refused entry for a far-right Israeli politician. 

TONY BURKE:  I do have a personal responsibility as to whether or not Australia formally holds out a welcome mat to people with extreme views and says come and express them here.

JACOB GREBER:  This month the Government barred Simcha Rothman, saying he would threaten Australia’s Islamic community and for his description of Israel’s war against Hamas as “dirty work” and children in Gaza as “enemies”. 

TONY BURKE:  If anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children I would block the visa. 

JACOB GREBER:  Not everyone backs Burke’s approach. Former Labor MP Michael Danby told 7.30 that while he doesn’t agree with Rothman’s views, excluding him “because he might inflame the Islamic community is as absurd as banning Matt Canavan from Norway because of pressure from the Greta Thunberg lobby”.

The group promoting his visit, the Australian Jewish Association, said Rothman is a “mild-mannered” member of the Israeli government.

ROBERT GREGORY, AUSTRALIAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION CEO:  We were very shocked with the cancellation. It just completely came out of the blue. We never would have expected, he is not some nobody. He has a senior role in the Israeli government. He’s chair of a very powerful committee in the Netanyahu Government and this is just not how you do diplomacy. It’s diplomacy for amateurs, what we’re seeing from the Albanese Government.

ALISON BROINOWSKI, FORMER DIPLOMAT:  I don’t like censorship.  It always makes me feel very uncomfortable because here we have people in authority telling us what we’re allowed to listen to and what we’re allowed to say but as I said, I can well appreciate why they don’t want the pot further stirred that it has been already.

JACOB GREBER:  Alison Broinowski is a former Australian diplomat to the Middle East who blames the deteriorating relationship with Israel on Netanyahu.

ALISON BROINOWSKI: The reason for Mr Netanyahu’s really quite immoderate language and actions towards Australia is a reflection of that. He’s in a desperate position.  

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER:  I don’t take these things personally. You know, I engage with people. Diplomatically, he has had similar things to say about other leaders. 

JACOB GREBER:  The Prime Minister is clearly side-stepping Netanyahu’s provocation, and the Opposition Leader is also treading carefully.

SUSSAN LEY, OPPOSITION LEADER:  While, of course, our prime minister, whoever that may be, should be respected, what has happened is that the relationship is deteriorating and that failure is becoming apparent because respect goes both ways.