Israel revokes Australian diplomat visas over Palestinian recognition

Israel’s foreign minister on Monday said he had revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, following a decision by Canberra to recognise a Palestinian state and cancel an Israeli lawmaker’s visa.

The Australian government said it had cancelled the visa of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition who had advocated against Palestinian statehood and called for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Australia’s ambassador to Israel had been informed that the visas of representatives to the Palestinian Authority had been revoked.

Like many countries, Australia maintains an embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv and a representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

“I also instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel,” Saar wrote on X, describing Australia’s refusal to grant visas to some Israelis as “unjustifiable”.

Australia’s government did not immediately comment.

The Palestinian foreign ministry issued a statement condemning Israel’s decision as illegal and “in violation of international law”.