Home Affairs Minister Defends Visa Bans, Cites Israeli Politicians' Comments About Palestinian Children
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended his decision to cancel visas for Israeli politicians Thursday, revealing that one described Palestinian children as "the enemy" while another called them "little snakes" during their planned speaking tours in Australia.
Burke told ABC Radio National Breakfast that the visa cancellations were based on inflammatory rhetoric targeting children, not political positions on the Gaza conflict, as criticism mounted over deteriorating Australia-Israel relations.
"One of them has described Palestinian children as the enemy and the other has described Palestinian children as little snakes," Burke said during the morning interview. "Now, if anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa."
The minister emphasized equal treatment regardless of which community faced derogatory comments.
"I'm going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people," Burke said.
Netanyahu Letter Surfaces
Burke's comments came as Sky News published a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing the Australian leader of "appeasement and pouring fuel on anti-Semitism."
Burke said he was unaware of the letter during the interview, though he had seen Netanyahu's public social media statements attacking Albanese as a "weak politician who has abandoned Australian Jews and betrayed Israel."
"This is a lashing out where it's happened to a number of countries that have come forward saying that they'll be recognising a Palestinian state," Burke said. "There's been a lashing out against the UK, against France, against Canada, against Norway, against Ireland, against Spain."
Strength vs. Weakness Definition
Burke rejected Netanyahu's characterization of Australian leadership as weak, offering an alternative definition of diplomatic strength.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry," Burke said. "Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu."
The minister described Albanese's direct communication approach as demonstrating genuine leadership.
"He has the conversation. He says exactly what we're intending to do and has the chance for the objections to be made person to person. And then, having heard them, makes a public announcement and does what needs to be done," Burke said.
Palestinian Recognition Justified
Burke defended Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, linking the timing to preservation of future peace prospects.
"The concept that if we don't recognise now, the plans that some people have will mean there may not be a Palestine to recognise in the future," Burke said. "And if you believe in there being a two-state solution, then the time to recognise is now."
The minister emphasized the recognition did not compromise existing positions on hostages or Hamas.
"Without in any way compromising the longstanding view that every hostage needs to be released, without compromising the view that Hamas is a terrorist organisation which must play no role in a future Palestinian state," Burke said.
He described the recognition as sending a message to Palestinians feeling "invisible to the world."
"To say to the Palestinian people, who at the moment must be feeling so invisible to the world, to say you are not invisible, we see you, we will recognise you," Burke said.
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Coalition Criticism Addressed
Burke responded to Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash's criticism of the visa decisions as "absurd," highlighting what he characterized as inconsistent opposition positions.
"When I gave the rejection of Candace Owens, she never objected to that. When I gave the rejection of Kanye West, she never objected to that," Burke said. "It seems that the coalition only believe I should be rejecting people if they will cause harm to the Jewish community and not if they will cause harm to the Palestinian or Muslim community."
The minister emphasized his commitment to protecting all Australian communities equally.
"I have a strong view that no matter who you are in Australia you have a right to feel safe and to be safe and I also have a view that words can be bullets," Burke said.
Hamas Comments Not Grounds for Rejection
Burke clarified that calls for Hamas destruction were not grounds for the visa cancellations, addressing media speculation about the decision criteria.
"Of course not. Of course not. Then just look at the number of people, yeah, the number of people with that exact view who we give visas to in Australia," Burke said when asked if anti-Hamas statements influenced the decision.
The minister described media reports suggesting otherwise as "ridiculous" and based on misreading of departmental documents.
"Some of what follows in that paragraph is simply descriptive of his views and consistent with many people who we let into the country. And some of it is quite extreme views, which are not consistently held across the country," Burke said.
Bilateral Relations Assessment
When asked about Opposition Leader Susan Lee's assessment that Australia-Israel relations were "in tatters," Burke acknowledged serious differences while noting continued cooperation in security matters.
"There are many layers of cooperation that happen with Israel, including in my own role as Minister for Home Affairs," Burke said. "There are many layers of cooperation that occur that keep people safe, that is valuable, that continues."
However, Burke acknowledged the severity of current tensions.
"Oh, look, there's clearly some very serious differences between the two countries. Clearly," Burke said.
Gaza Situation Condemned
Burke condemned the ongoing situation in Gaza while maintaining Israel's right to respond to the October 7 attacks.
"What is happening in Gaza is beyond belief," Burke said. "October 7 was disgraceful, disgusting. There were breaches of humanitarian law everywhere that happened from Hamas that day. None of that is the fault of starving Palestinian children."
The minister called for maintaining humanitarian principles despite legitimate anger.
"No one should ever sacrifice their principles of humanity when they give way to their rage," Burke said.
Social Cohesion Role Changes
Burke confirmed that Peter Khalil's role as special envoy for social cohesion had been restructured, with multicultural affairs elevated to cabinet level under Anne Aly.
"Instead of having an envoy, we have the multicultural affairs and that part, you know, the social cohesion part work is largely shared between myself and Anne," Burke said.
The visa cancellation decisions remain final, with Burke indicating he would not personally review any appeals due to his public statements on the matter.
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