Australia blocks visit by Israeli politician who advocated ethnic cleansing
Australia denied entry to an Israeli politician who has advocated the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and described children in Gaza as “enemies” ahead of his planned speaking tour for Australia’s Jewish community.
Simcha Rothman, a supporter of Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly remove the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, had been scheduled to fly to Australia on Monday to appear at events in Sydney and Melbourne organized by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA).
However, AJA said Rothman’s visa had been cancelled by the government at the last minute.
In a post written in Hebrew on X shortly after the decision was made public, Rothman said the home affairs minister had informed him his “presence and words will have a serious impact on peace and the rule of law in Australia.”
In a statement, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the visa cancellation.
“Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division,” Burke said.
“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don't want you here,” Burke added.
He said he wanted Australia to be a safe country where everybody felt secure.
Burke has previously barred the entry of politicians with a history of controversial or offensive statements, like the former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.
Rothman is a member of Israel’s far-right Mafdal-Religious Zionism party, led by hawkish minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich was sanctioned by the government of Australia in June alongside Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is also notorious for warmongering rhetoric and genocidal incitement.
In a May interview with the UK’s Channel 4, Rothman claimed children within Gaza were “enemies” who should not be allowed to flee into Israeli-occupied territories.
Rothman was one of a handful of Knesset members who initiated a motion in July to “apply” Israel’s sovereignty to the occupied West Bank territory.
Rothman is also the architect of a bill to formally change all references to the West Bank in legislation to the historical Israeli name, Judea and Samaria.
Rothman played a role in the Israeli cabinet, spearheading a movement to allow a Knesset majority to override almost any Supreme Court rulings, and to allow politicians to appoint most of the justices to the bench.
The proposal sparked protests and unrest in 2023 within Israeli-occupied territories in the months before the Hamas-led Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October, leading to political instability and division.
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