Ex-minister Shaked denied visa to Australia, reportedly since she might ‘incite discord’
Former politician denounces ‘political’ ban, says it’s because she opposes Palestinian state; Jewish groups slam decision as offensive; car burned in antisemitic attack in Sydney
Former justice minister Ayelet Shaked said on Thursday that she was barred from entering Australia, where she was slated to address a conference organized by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).
The Australian newspaper reported that Shaked was denied a visa because she might “incite discord,” noting that the act used to prevent her entry stipulates that applicants may be barred if it is believed that they may “vilify a segment of the Australian community, or incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community.”
Speaking with the paper, AIJAC chief Colin Rubenstein condemned the visa ban as “a disgraceful act of hostility towards a democratic ally.”
“It is extraordinary that a government that refuses to take any meaningful action against an Iranian ambassador who effectively calls for genocide would act so undiplomatically towards a friend,” he said.
Also responding to the reports, Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler tweeted, “The Australian Government’s decision to refuse a visa to Ayelet Shaked is both baffling and deeply offensive.”
“Ayelet is a former justice minister in the most diverse and centrist Israeli government in history, which included an Israeli Arab party and minister. This refusal is particularly perplexing given that this very same government granted her a visa less than two years ago,” he wrote.
The issue here is not that I didn't get a visa. The issue here is that the current Australian government has become anti-Semitic pic.twitter.com/x1v7xOInpA
— איילת שקד Ayelet Shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) November 21, 2024
“How is it conceivable that our government has granted a visa to a Palestinian man from Gaza who reportedly has had close family connections and personal interactions with terrorist organizations, yet refuses entry to a former government minister of a democratic nation and one of our Australia’s friends?”
In a later post, Leibler addressed Shaked directly, “I am embarrassed of my Government. Rest assured, most Australians do not support this outrageous decision.”
Speaking with Channel 12 on Thursday, Shaked slammed what she called Australia’s “extreme anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian government, part of which is even antisemitic, which for political reasons and because I oppose a Palestinian state does not allow me to attend a strategic dialogue between Israel and Australia.”
“These are dark days for democracy,” she added.
Shaked’s visa denial came amid reports that Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has recently signaled increased support for the Palestinians, voting in May in favor of a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member.
According to a Sky News Australia report on Wednesday, that vote went against the recommendation of Canberra’s mission to the United Nations, and blindsided Israel, the United States and Canada, who believed Australia would abstain.
Also Thursday, meanwhile, a car in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, which has a large Jewish population, was burned and dozens of others defaced with anti-Israeli graffiti.
In a post on X early Thursday, the Israeli embassy in Australia declared that it was “appalled by the antisemitic attack.”
“Words are no longer enough — it’s time for action,” the embassy asserted.
Jewish Australian suburb in Sydney was targeted by anti-Semites last night. Cars were torched and graffitied with “FUCK ISRAEL” and “PKK” slogans for the Kurdish Marxist Leninist militant group. pic.twitter.com/Nf6heeVxQh
— Drew Pavlou ???????????????????????????????? (@DrewPavlou) November 21, 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday condemned the attack as “disturbing” and “deeply troubling.”
“There is no place for antisemitism in Australia. Conflict overseas cannot be made a platform for prejudice at home. I have trust in our law enforcement agencies to deal with this,” he said in a statement cited by Australian media.
Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment have risen in Australia since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw thousands of terrorists burst across the border into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
In October, a few days after the unprecedented onslaught, Jewish Australians who were holding a vigil outside the Sydney Opera House were faced with antisemitic pro-Palestinian protesters who chanted “F*** the Jews” and “Gas the Jews,” although law enforcement later claimed that they were chanting, “Where’re the Jews” and not “Gas the Jews.”
In an effort to combat the spike in antisemitism, Albanese appointed an envoy in July to deal with the issue, as well as an envoy to address Islamophobia.
Agencies contributed to this report.
