From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Netanyahu escalates attack on Australia’s Albanese as Jewish group urges calm
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steps up his personal attacks on Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese over his government’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, saying Albanese’s political record had been damaged forever.
Diplomatic ties between Australia and Israel have soured since Albanese’s center-left Labor government last week announced it would conditionally recognize Palestinian statehood, following similar moves by France, Britain and Canada.
The decision prompted Netanyahu to launch a personal attack on Albanese, and he doubles down on his condemnation in an interview to be broadcast on Sky News Australia.
“I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of this Hamas terrorist monsters,” Netanyahu says, after describing Albanese earlier this week as “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
Albanese yesterday played down Netanyahu’s criticisms, saying he did not “take these things personally” and that he treated the leaders of other countries with respect.
Last week, Albanese said the Israeli prime minister was “in denial” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the UN has warned of the risk of widespread starvation and international pressure is growing for Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the territory.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry in separate letters sent yesterday to both leaders urged them to discuss differences through diplomacy rather than public posturing.
“We write to express our deep dismay and concern at the recent ‘war of words,'” the letters 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,” the council said.
Israel this week revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority after Albanese’s government cancelled the visa of an Israeli lawmaker over remarks it considered controversial and inflammatory.
The Times of Israel Community.