Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his attacks on Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, accusing him of permanently damaging his political record after Canberra’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
“I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of this Hamas terrorist monsters,” Netanyahu said in an interview to be broadcast on Sky News Australia on Thursday evening. Earlier this week, he branded Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
Diplomatic ties between the two countries have soured since Albanese’s centre-left Labor government announced last week that it would conditionally recognise Palestinian statehood, following similar moves by France, Britain and Canada.
Albanese played down Netanyahu’s criticisms on Wednesday. “I don’t take these things personally,” he told reporters, adding that he treated other national leaders with respect. Last week, he accused the Israeli prime minister of being “in denial” about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned of the risk of widespread starvation.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry expressed alarm at the rhetoric in letters to both leaders on Wednesday. “We write to express our deep dismay and concern at the recent ‘war of words’,” it said. “If things need to be said publicly, they should be said using measured and seemly language befitting national leaders. Australia and Israel are mature democracies and their governments need to act accordingly.”
Tensions rose further this week when Israel revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority after Canberra cancelled the visa of an Israeli lawmaker over remarks it deemed inflammatory.
Netanyahu faces mounting international pressure over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run health ministry and displaced most of the enclave’s population. Israel launched the war after Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military announced the first steps of an operation to take control of Gaza City, calling up tens of thousands of reservists despite warnings from allies to reconsider. Israel is also weighing a new ceasefire proposal, while Hamas has signalled its willingness to accept a 60-day truce.
Boluwatife Enome
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