Australia Cancels Visa of Far-Right Israeli Politician, Says “We Don’t Want You Here”
Australia has cancelled the visa of Simcha Rothman, a far-right Israeli politician and member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, ahead of a planned speaking tour.
Rothman was scheduled to appear at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association, but Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia would not accept visitors seeking to “spread division.”
“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here,” Burke stated. “Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe.”
As a result of the cancellation, Rothman is barred from travelling to Australia for three years.
Event organisers denounced the move. Robert Gregory, chief executive of the Australian Jewish Association, said Rothman’s visit was meant to “show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community, which is facing a wave of anti-Semitism.”
Gregory described the government’s decision as “a viciously anti-Semitic move,” accusing Canberra of being “obsessed with targeting the Jewish community and Israel.”
The cancellation comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government prepares to recognise Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.
