Cut All Ties: Australia Cannot Host Apartheid and Genocide

Expelling Israel’s diplomats is the only way to stop complicity in war crimes and protect Australia’s multicultural harmony.

This week Australia drew a hard and uncompromising line in the sand with Israel — and rightly so. By blocking the entry of Israeli MP Simcha Rothman, the Albanese government not only defended the safety of Australia’s Muslim community but also showed that this nation will not play host to apartheid, genocide, or imported hate.

Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke made the courageous call to cancel Rothman’s visa, making clear that Rothman’s poisonous message of division and dehumanisation was not welcome on Australian soil. That decision was not just a bureaucratic intervention — it was an act of moral leadership, and Australians should be proud of Tony Burke’s courage.

Australia has long prided itself on being a tolerant, multicultural country — a nation where diverse faiths and communities coexist under a shared commitment to equality and respect. That identity came under the spotlight when the Albanese government blocked Rothman’s entry, citing fears his inflammatory rhetoric would fracture cohesion, embolden extremists, and put public safety at risk.

Banning Rothman’s entry wasn’t only bold. It was necessary. Burke’s decision has already provoked retaliation from Israel — a move that goes far beyond a simple visa revocation. It asserts Australia’s sovereignty, expresses principle, and opens the door to a new chapter in Canberra’s foreign policy: one where ties with a government engaged in systemic oppression and mass killing can no longer be justified.

Ending ties with Israel is not only the right move — it is long overdue. For decades, Israel has acted with impunity: bombing civilians, starving families, targeting refugee camps and hospitals, displacing millions, and then daring to cloak these atrocities in the language of “security.” These are not the actions of a democracy. They are the crimes of an apartheid state committing genocide before the eyes of the world.

Rothman, a senior figure in Israel’s Religious Zionist Party and chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, epitomises this extremism. He has labelled Gaza’s children “enemies” and openly advocated for the elimination of Hamas in terms that dehumanise Palestinians as a whole. Internal government documents concluded his presence in Australia would inflame tensions, legitimise anti-Muslim hatred, and threaten the “good order” of Australia’s Islamic community.

In a nation already strained by rising hostility between Jewish and Muslim Australians since October 7, his arrival would have been reckless. Burke was right to intervene. “If you’re coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here,” he said. That statement should define more than just one visa decision — it should define our foreign policy.

Israel’s retaliation was immediate and contemptuous. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar revoked the visa of Bethany Randell, Australia’s representative to the Palestinian Authority, and threatened further restrictions. This was punishment for Canberra’s recognition of Palestinian statehood — a decision that has set Australia apart from Washington, London, and other cautious allies.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong was right to call Israel’s actions “unjustified,” but words are not enough. Blocking Rothman must not be the first and last step. Because the deeper reality is undeniable: Netanyahu’s government has no interest in peace, no respect for international law, and no restraint in its campaign of destruction. It has blood on its hands.

That is why cutting ties is critical. Diplomacy cannot be a licence for genocide. Business-as-usual relations make Australia complicit. To remain credible as a nation of fairness, equality, and multiculturalism, Australia must expel the Israeli ambassador and consular staff. Such a move would send an unmistakable message: that this country will not provide legitimacy or hospitality to a regime that practices apartheid, collective punishment, and ethnic cleansing under the false pretext of security.

Breaking ties would not isolate Australia. On the contrary, it would align Canberra with nations across the Global South and beyond that are standing up against war crimes and impunity. It would reaffirm Australia’s identity as a leader in multiculturalism and tolerance, a nation that values its Muslim community as much as its Jewish community, and one that refuses to let imported sectarian hatreds fracture its social fabric.

Australia’s history is one of immigration, integration, and mutual respect. From post-war European migrants to more recent arrivals from Asia and the Middle East, this country has thrived precisely because it has insisted that all are equal under the law and all can find a place in its society. That identity is now at stake.

If Australia wavers in the face of Israeli threats, if it allows foreign politicians to import poison and division, it risks betraying the values that define it. By standing firm — and by going further — the Albanese government can show moral courage in a world starved of it.

Blocking Rothman was the right move. But it must only be the beginning. Piecemeal measures aren’t enough. To demonstrate real leadership, Anthony Albanese must cut ties with Israel, expel its representatives, and declare Australia a principled global voice for peace and justice. Anything less leaves this country complicit in apartheid and genocide.

If Albo does, Australia won’t only safeguard its own communities but will show the world why it’s a nation of equality, tolerance, and unflinching moral courage.