Far-right Israeli politician who calls Palestinian children ‘enemies’ banned from entering Australia

A far-right extremist Israeli member of Knesset has been barred from entering Australia by authorities, a day before he was scheduled to visit the country to take part in a speaking tour in Melbourne and Sydney.

The provocative politician, Simcha Rothman, has previously referred to Palestinian children in Gaza as "enemies" and called for Israel to totally control the occupied West Bank. He has shown support for US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which includes forcibly moving Palestinians out of the Strip.

Rothman, who is part of the extremist Religious Zionism party headed by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, was set to take part in a "solidarity tour" where he had events planned.

The public speaking events were organised by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) and was intended to "show support for Australia’s Jewish community".

The event description reads: "Australian Jews are experiencing unprecedented antisemitism. Many feel that the Australian government has abandoned the Jewish community".

It adds that Rothman would be sharing words to "support" the Jewish community and will be "providing an update from Israel," without further elaboration on what the update is or entails. However, the AJA chief executive, Robert Gregory, dismissed concerns over the speaking events and said that the trip to Australia was "not connected to current events in the Middle East".

The country’s progressive Jewish Council of Australia raised concerns over the expected visit, saying that it was "part of an effort to encourage support for the Israeli government".

Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, confirmed that his visa application had been rejected and noted that he will no longer be able to apply for one for the next three years.

"Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division," Burke said in a statement.

"If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here," he continued.

Burke emphasised that "Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe," hinting at Rothman’s previous inflammatory comments.

According to some reports, authorities stated that the decision to bar his entry is also due to his statements on social media and denial of violations committed by Israel in Gaza amid the ongoing war on the besieged enclave.

The home affairs minister has barred other high-profile personalities from entering the country, including rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, US law professor and Palestine advocate Khaled Beydoun as well as Israel’s former Israeli minister, Ayelet Shaked.

Australia’s interior ministry also reportedly issued a statement saying that Rothman’s presence in the country "may encourage activities that would obstruct the authorities from maintaining public order in the country".

After being informed of the decision Rothman reportedly hit out, saying it was "blatant anti-Semitism".

In comments made to Hebrew news site Yedinoth Ahronoth, he said "the Australian government has chosen to surrender to terrorism".

Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also slammed the decision on X, calling it a "historical stain and a shame for the Australian government" before criticising "the gloating cries of Israeli left-wing activists, the collaborators of Hamas, and those who defame Israel worldwide".

The move to bar him comes amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has killed over 61,800 Palestinians and devastated the Strip. The war has been determined to be a genocide by leading rights group Amnesty International.