SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Aug 20 that he treats leaders of other countries with respect after Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu attacked him over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

“I don’t take these things personally, I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar things to say about other leaders,” he added of Mr Netanyahu during a media briefing.

For decades, Australia has considered itself a close friend of Israel, but the relationship has swiftly unravelled since Canberra announced last week it would recognise a Palestinian state.

Mr Netanyahu drastically escalated a war of words on the night of Aug 19, calling Mr Albanese

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Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Aug 20 it was the sign of a frustrated leader “lashing out”.

“Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,” he told national broadcaster ABC.

“What we’ve seen with some of the actions they are taking is a continued isolation of Israel from the world, and that is not in their interests either.”

Through the 1950s, Australia was a refuge for Jews fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust.

Melbourne at one point housed, per capita, the largest population of Holocaust survivors anywhere outside of Israel.

Mr Netanyahu was infuriated when Australia declared it would recognise Palestinian statehood in September, following similar pledges from France, Canada and Britain.

In the space of nine days since that decision, relations between Australia and Israel have plummeted.

Australia on Aug 18 cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman – a member of Mr Netanyahu’s governing coalition – saying his planned speaking tour would “spread division”.

The tit-for-tat continued on Aug 19, when Israel retaliated by revoking visas held by Canberra’s diplomatic representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

Then came Mr Netanyahu’s social media outburst. “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” he said on X.

Israel finds itself increasingly isolated as it continues to wage war in Gaza, a conflict triggered by an October 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has severely restricted the entry of humanitarian aid.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said last week that Mr Netanyahu

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Relations between Australia and Israel started fraying late in 2024 following a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.