The last-minute cancellation of Israeli politician Simcha Rothman’s visa ahead of his planned visit to Australia is misguided, says a leader of the Jewish community.
Rothman, a member of the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism, is part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition in the country’s parliament known as the Knesset.
He has previously advocated for the expulsion of Gazans, a key reason for the Australian government’s cancellation of his visa on the morning he was due to depart from Israel.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said visitors seeking to spread division would not be allowed in Australia, and Rothman’s visa cancellation also bans him from visiting the country for three years.
But Australian Jewish Association (AJA) CEO Robert Gregory said claims that Rothman would spread hate and division were misguided.
“The topics he spoke about and the issues he intended to speak about had he come out here were mostly to do with anti-Semitism in Australia,” he told The Epoch Times.
“So it wasn’t particularly controversial. Many of the reasons cited by the government in their document revoking his visa are very mainstream positions in Israel, and among the Australian-Jewish community.
“So if that’s divisive, then it’s a big issue.”
It was the AJA that helped organise Rothman’s planned visit to Australia, and still organised a public video session for an online audience last weekend.
Despite one of the alleged reasons for Rothman’s ban was him calling for the destruction of the Hamas terrorist group—the controlling political party in Palestine—he said he has no shortage of support.
He is the leader of the Land of Israel Caucus in the Knesset, which in July 2024 passed a resolution saying the Palestinian state is extremely dangerous for the state of Israel, with the support of 80 Knesset members.
“We should never have a Palestinian state because a Palestinian state poses a great danger to the existence of the state of Israel,” Rothman said in the AJA video feed on Aug. 24.
“From the Jewish parties in the Israeli Knesset, no one–including the left-wing parties–came and voted against it [the resolution saying the state of Palestine was dangerous to Israel’s existence]. The people who did not like this just left.”
Meanwhile, Australian Minister Burke stood by his department’s decision to deny Rothman a visa, saying he does not want anyone in the country who poses a perceived threat to its social cohesion.
“Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division,” he said.
“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here.
“Under our government, Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe.”
Reasons for the Visa Denial
According to the ABC, the reasons outlined by the department for the visa cancellation include Rothman previously saying children in Gaza were not dying of hunger and that they were the enemy, and that the idea of a two-state solution had “poisoned the mind of the entire world.”
The Epoch Times could not independently verify that these statements were the reason for his visa cancellation.
The Israeli government has maintained that it does not have a policy to starve the residents of Gaza, arguing it has “gone to unprecedented lengths to enable aid to go into enemy territory.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said many reports fail to mention the “systematic theft” of aid for the people of Gaza by Hamas.
“The Hamas-orchestrated ‘starvation campaign’ will not deter us from freeing our hostages and eliminating Hamas,” he said.
Visa Denial a Case of ‘Hypocrisy’
Gregory said blocking Rothman’s entry Down Under was hypocritical of the Albanese government, given it has allowed pro-Palestine supporters waving Hamas flags to march through Australian cities protesting against the Israel-Hamas war.
Gregory made reference to ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess’s past concession to ABC that not all Palestinian visa requests were being sent to his organisation for background checks.
Burgess later added that the names of all visa applicants are checked against a global list, the Movement Alert List.
According to Refugee Council of Australia, by August 2024, the Albanese government had granted 2,564 visitor visas to Palestinians, of which about 1,300 made the journey to Australia.
“It’s certainly hypocrisy from the federal government. Some very extreme people and people who have said very extreme things have been granted visas and come to Australia,” Gregory said.
Hamas flags have been spotted at pro-Palestine rallies in capital cities, as well as T-shirts with messages such as “death to the IDF,” and posters of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has advocated the chant “death to America.”
Yet “we can’t even host someone who wants to tour in solidarity because of the anti-Semitism crisis,” Gregory said.
“But it’s been really heartwarming to see the Jewish community come together.”
Gregory added the Albanese government was setting a “troubling precedent” of denying a visa to people with opinions they disagree with.
“This wouldn’t have happened if he [Rothman] wasn’t on the conservative side of politics,” he said.
The Epoch Times contacted Minister Tony Burke’s office for comment.
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