‘Forever tarnished’: Netanyahu defies Jewish groups’ calls for moderation, attacking Albanese

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied a call for calm from Australia’s top Jewish community leaders and escalated his conflict with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by branding him “forever tarnished” by his plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry wrote to Netanyahu on Wednesday to decry his “clumsy” and “inflammatory” intervention into Australian politics this week, which has included a personal attack on Albanese.

Albanese declined to escalate the diplomatic stoush on Wednesday, saying he treated other leaders with respect, while Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke hit back at the Israeli prime minister to the Jewish group’s dismay.

On Thursday, Netanyahu further escalated the war of words. “When the worst terrorist organisation on Earth, these savages who murdered women, raped them, beheaded men, burnt babies alive in front of their parents and took hundreds of hostages – when these people congratulate the Prime Minister of Australia, you know something is wrong,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Sky News, to be broadcast in full tonight.

Netanyahu was also critical of the Albanese government last year after a synagogue was firebombed in Melbourne, but the diplomatic relationship between Australia and Israel has declined even further since Albanese announced earlier this month that his government would recognise a Palestinian state.

Hamas leaders welcomed Albanese’s decision despite the prime minister stressing that Hamas can have no role in a future Palestinian state and deplored Hamas’ terror attacks.

Netanyahu told Sky: “I’m sure [Albanese] has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters.”

Burke had told ABC radio on Wednesday that: “Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.”

Netanyahu sent a scathing letter to the Australian prime minister on Tuesday, saying the “call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire”.

Netanyahu sent similar letters to other world leaders who have decided to recognise Palestine, including French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron accused Netanyahu of a “manipulation” of facts in a dispute with parallels to the one between Israel and Australia.

The Albanese government this week revoked the visa of a far-right Israeli politician travelling to Australia, and Israel retaliated by rescinding the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler described Netanyahu’s earlier comments as “entirely unhelpful and unproductive” on Wednesday.

“I don’t think the use of personal or inflammatory language is appropriate or helpful,” Leibler told this masthead.

Israel began calling up tens of thousands of reservists on Wednesday to execute Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City, a move which has also drawn strong rebukes from Australia, France, and other nations.

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