Extract from ABC News
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has explained why he rejected a former Israeli minister's visa application. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
In short:
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has explained his decision to refuse a former Israeli minister's visa application.
Right-wing politician Ayelet Shaked accused the Australian government of anti-Semitism after she was barred from travelling to Australia last month.
Mr Burke said his department had refused visas for people planning to speak about the war in the Middle East if there was a belief they would seriously undermine social cohesion.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says he denied a former Israeli government minister a visa to come to Australia over concerns she would threaten social cohesion, in his first public comments on the matter.
Ayelet Shaked, a right-wing politician who left parliament in 2022, accused the Australian government of anti-Semitism after her visa was rejected last month, sparking backlash from the Israeli government.
The former justice minister had applied to attend a security conference in Canberra and other events organised by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).
Mr Burke on Sunday said Ms Shaked had not sought a visa on behalf of the Israeli government and was planning to travel to Australia for a public speaking tour.
He added that the former head of the Israeli Air Force had also sought a visa to attend the same conference, which was approved.
"My department has been refusing visas of people who want to come here and talk about the conflict if we think that they are going to seriously undermine social cohesion when they're here," he said in an interview with Sky News.
"Let me put it in these terms, if somebody came here … wanting to make public statements and their previous public statements had included that they wanted all the Jews to leave Israel … I would not give them a visa.
"Ms Shaked has said that all the Palestinians should leave Gaza."
Ayelet Shaked accused the Australian government of anti-Semitism after her visa application was rejected. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)
Mr Burke referenced a series of Ms Shaked's past comments, including an interview last year in which she said the Gazan city of Khan Younis should be turned into a soccer field.
"My view is really simple: If you're simply coming here to demean people, we can do without you," Mr Burke said.
"Whether those hatreds are demeaning of Israelis or demeaning of Palestinians, I'm going to have the exact same hard line."
Last month, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the decision to reject Ms Shaked's visa applications as "deeply offensive and troubling", while the former minister alleged that it had been refused because she opposes a Palestinian state.
"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," Ms Shaked said on the social media platform X in November.
Burke questioned about ICC arrest warrant
During the long and wide-ranging interview, Mr Burke was also asked about the arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court.
In November, the court issued warrants against Mr Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as senior Hamas official Mohammed Deif, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the Israel-Gaza war.
Israel challenged the legality of the ICC prosecutor's request to issue arrest warrants and Mr Netanyahu has said he will appeal them.
Asked if the Israeli prime minister would be arrested if he travelled to Australia, Mr Burke pointed to Foreign Minister Penny Wong's previous comments, in which she said Australia respected the ICC's independence and the importance of international law.
"Our support for international law used to be bipartisan, she's made that simple statement about an institution that we signed up to under the Howard government and Penny hasn't elaborated further and neither will I," he said.
Israel is not a member state of the ICC and therefore does not recognise its jurisdiction in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Australia is one of the 124 member states but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to comment on the matter earlier this year when the warrant applications were made.
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