‘Australia Decided To Side With Hamas,’ Says Israeli MK After Visa Canceled
Israel retaliates after Canberra blocked Simcha Rothman’s entry, escalating diplomatic tensions
Israel moved swiftly to retaliate after Australian authorities canceled the visa of MK Simcha Rothman less than 24 hours before his planned arrival, blocking the lawmaker’s planned “solidarity tour” with the Jewish community.
If you appease terror, if you surrender to terror, you just invite more terror
Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee and a member of the Religious Zionism party, told The Media Line that the decision was nothing less than “taking sides with Hamas and terror.” He revealed that he learned of the cancellation by email at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, only hours before his flight. “If you appease terror, if you surrender to terror, you just invite more terror, and you encourage it,” he said. “Sadly, the Australian government decided to take sides, and side with Hamas and side with terror.”
The abrupt move was made under Section 116 of the Australian Migration Act, which allows entry to be denied if the presence of the visitor is considered a risk to “the health, safety, or good order” of the community. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke accused Rothman of spreading “hate and division,” announcing that the MK would be barred from applying for a new visa for the next three years. “If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here,” Burke told British media. “Under our government, Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe and feel safe.”
Describing the official justification as “outrageous” and “cowardly,” Rothman said the evidence cited against him included statements such as “Hamas is bad and Israel is good” and support for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria—positions that, he emphasized, had been formally adopted by the Knesset with a two-thirds majority. “Those views represent a broad consensus in Israel and in the Jewish people around the world,” he insisted. “They are definitely not spreading hate and division. Anyone who supports a terror state at our borders, or thinks that Hamas is good, is on the side of terror, of hate, and of division.”
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If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here
He added that Australian officials admitted they were acting under pressure from segments of the local Muslim community. “Apparently they got some threats of riots or of attacks, and instead of dealing with it, like freedom-loving countries that care about human rights, or freedom of speech, or the Jewish community that resides in Australia, instead of going against the aggressor, they blame me for spreading hate and division,” Rothman said. “That’s crazy, that’s going against the victim and not against the aggressor.”
The MK rejected claims that his rhetoric was extreme, maintaining that his positions on Hamas and on sovereignty were no harsher than those of mainstream politicians in Israel and abroad. “I even speak with a softer voice than many members of the US Senate today, and many members of the United States House of Representatives, and the American ambassador to Israel, and President Donald Trump,” he said. “So, if these views are controversial and hate and division, then no foreign politician should go to Australia, if that’s the case.”
Rothman said his goal was to reassure a Jewish community that has felt increasingly under attack since the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel. “I was invited there for a solidarity mission with the Jewish community, following anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and on communities there,” he explained. “I wanted to go there and tell them that the State of Israel sees them, the State of Israel is worried about them, and we will always be with them the same way that they are with us in our time of need.” He called the cancellation “an anti-Semitic thing to do” and “a very cowardly action on behalf of the Australian government.”
Apparently they got some threats of riots or of attacks, and instead of dealing with it, … they blame me
The case adds to a growing list of high-profile Israelis blocked by Canberra. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were sanctioned in June. Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was denied entry last November, while pro-Israel influencer Hillel Fuld was also barred. Rothman argued that unlike Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, who are associated with specific government policies, his positions reflect Israel’s mainstream consensus. “It’s not about the right-wing,” he said. “It’s against the State of Israel and the people of Israel.”
Israel’s government has already responded. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that the residency visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority would be revoked, and instructed Israel’s Embassy in Canberra to carefully review every official Australian visa request. “The wave of antisemitism in Australia is raging, and instead of confronting it, the government there has chosen to fuel it,” Sa’ar said. Rothman welcomed the move but added: “If this situation will not be resolved, Israel should and probably will take other measures, because we cannot accept this behavior from a country that’s supposed to be friendly towards Israel.”
Surrendering or appeasing terror is never, and had never been the right approach
Closing his remarks with a warning, the MK urged Canberra not to repeat what he views as Israel’s past mistakes. “Surrendering or appeasing terror is never, and had never been the right approach,” he said. “Anyone who is caving under pressure that comes from terror is just inviting the next terrorist attack, just encouraging terror. Israel had learned this lesson and paid a very heavy price on October 7. We said never again, and we make sure that Israel will never cave again under threats of terror. I hope Australia would not need their October 7 to learn how important it is to stand against terror.”
