Australia bars entry of Israeli politician who backed Gaza displacement

August 18, 2025 - 15:44

Australia’s federal government has cancelled the visa of Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Israel's far right Mafdal-Religious Zionism party, just days before he was due to arrive in Australia for a speaking event, ABC news reported. 

Rothman, whose party is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, has previously advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, and denied claims of starvation in the territory.

In May Rothman told the UK's Channel 4 that Britain should let Palestinians "run away" from Gaza, and if it did not, "you are aiding and abetting a terrorist organization using them as human shields".

The Israeli politician was due to speak at events in Australia in a matter of days, including a Sydney event next Thursday hosted by the Australian Jewish Association.

But his visa has been cancelled, and Simcha has been banned from travel to Australia for three years — a condition that is sometimes applied to a cancellation depending on the grounds it was cancelled on.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia would not accept people travelling to cause division.

Australia bars entry of Israeli politician who backed Gaza displacement

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people in Sydney held a huge rally calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. Protesters carried pots and pans, symbolic of the forced starvation endured by Gaza’s population, and called out for a ceasefire and unrestricted delivery of aid.

Police estimated attendance at around 90,000, while organizers said the number could be as high as 300,000. New South Wales Senator Mehreen Faruqi addressed the crowd, demanding the “harshest sanctions on Israel” and condemning the “massacres” of Palestinians as crimes that must not go unpunished.