Canberra, Aug 19 (IANS) Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday that Israel’s decision to revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority (PA) was “unjustified”.
In a post on social media platform X on Monday night, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that he has cancelled the visas of Australia’s representatives to the PA and instructed the embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry into Israel.
Responding on Tuesday morning, Wong said in a statement that it was an “unjustified reaction” following Australia’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
“At a time when dialogue and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution,” Wong added.
Sa’ar said the decision to revoke the visas was made after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced earlier in August that Australia will formally recognise Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September.
He also cited the Australian government’s decision on Monday to deny entry to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman days before he was due to arrive for a speaking tour.
Tony Burke, the Minister for Home Affairs, said on Monday that the Australian government takes a “hard line” on people seeking to enter the country to spread division.
“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here,” he added.
Burke said that the decision bans Rothman from visiting Australia for three years.
In June, Australia and four other countries imposed sanctions on Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over accusations of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Albanese, announced Australia would recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September as part of a two-state solution, following new commitments by the Palestinian Authority. The move was criticised by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as “disappointing” and “shameful”.
–IANS
int/khz
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.