Australia’s top Jewish community leaders have criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for personally attacking Anthony Albanese on social media, as Albanese declined to engage in a public slanging match with his counterpart.

In an unprecedented letter to an Israeli leader, the nation’s peak Jewish body wrote to Netanyahu to decry his “clumsy” and “inflammatory” intervention into Australian politics, accusing him of playing into the hands of antisemites.

Netanyahu called Albanese “weak” in a scathing social media post on Tuesday night that accused the prime minister of abandoning Israel and Australia’s Jewish community.

Albanese responded by telling reporters on Wednesday: “I treat leaders of other countries with respect, I engage with them in a diplomatic way.”

Albanese said he had made a point to call Netanyahu a fortnight ago to brief him on plans for Australia to recognise Palestinian statehood and listen to his point of view.

Asked why he thought Netanyahu might be targeting him, Albanese said: “I don’t take these things personally.”

The latest flare-up in tensions was triggered when Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s department cancelled a visa this week for far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, basing the decision on his views and previous comments that included calling Gazan children “enemies” of Israel.

The personal tone of Netanyahu’s social media post has angered Jewish community leaders, who urged the two nations to de-escalate tensions before they spun out of control.