Australia Slams Netanyahu After ‘Weak’ Jibe at Albanese

Australia sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday after he branded Anthony Albanese a “weak politician who betrayed Israel.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Netanyahu’s remarks reflected a leader “lashing out” in frustration. “Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,” Burke told ABC, adding that Israel’s actions were isolating it further from the world.

The diplomatic row erupted after Canberra announced it would recognize a Palestinian state next month, joining France, Canada, and the UK. Netanyahu reacted furiously, escalating tensions that have strained ties once described as among Israel’s closest.

In recent days, the fallout has intensified: Australia canceled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, while Israel retaliated by revoking visas for Canberra’s diplomats to the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu’s online attack Tuesday night accused Albanese of betraying both Israel and Australia’s Jewish community. “History will remember Albanese for what he is,” he wrote on X.

Australia’s recognition of Palestine marks a sharp departure from decades of staunch pro-Israel policy. Through the 1950s, Australia welcomed thousands of Holocaust survivors, with Melbourne once hosting the largest survivor community outside Israel.

But relations have plummeted since the Gaza war erupted last October after Hamas’s deadly assault. Israel’s military campaign has drawn international criticism amid UN warnings of famine in Gaza. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last week said Netanyahu had “lost the plot.”

The deterioration accelerated after anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne late last year, which Netanyahu cited as proof of “anti-Israel sentiment” in Canberra.