Published: 26 November 2024
Last updated: 26 November 2024
Former Israeli Minister of Interior and Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked was scheduled to be in Australia last night to participate in a panel on the Middle East hosted by the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke denied Shaked a visa, without citing a reason but using the ministerial discretion which allows him to deny a visa on character grounds.
Was the denial justified?
YES
Jack Ginger
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke recently cancelled the visa of Muslim American law professor Khaled Beydoun after he gave a lecture at a Sydney mosque in which he described October 7 as a “good day”.
He refused a visa to Candace Owens, a far-right commentator who denies aspects of the Holocaust.
The Jewish community overwhelmingly supported these actions.
But when the same Minister denied a visa to Israel far right politician and former minister Ayelet Shaked for similar reasons, many Jews could not see the analogies.
The Migration Act allows a minister to refuse an applicant whom he believes the applicant could “vilify a segment of the Australian community or incite discord in the Australian community or in a segment of that community”.
Shaked is on the record vilifying Palestinians in comments that are certainly racist and, in the context of growing Islamophobia and antisemitism in Australia, could reasonably be expected to incite discord.
In November 2023 she stated that all two million Palestinians living is Gaza should be removed and that the city of Khan Younis should be turned into a soccer field.
In 2014 she published a Facebook post describing Palestinian children as "little snakes". Arguing that the entire Palestinian nation as Israel’s enemies and calling for the murder of mothers whose children are terrorists and the destruction of their houses declaring, she wrote of Arab mothers “They need to go the way of their sons. There is nothing more true than that. They must go, same as the house in which they raised the snake. Otherwise, they will raise other little snakes there.”
Democracy is fragile and needs to be protected by its citizens and by the law. Its success is measured by the protection it offers to its minorities. Australia is a multicultural society and social cohesion is so very vital for the wellbeing of the community.
Perhaps the visa rejection will prompt Shaked to reflect on the damage caused by making such statements. Netanyahu and his far right coalition may have made such statements acceptable in Israel, but they are not welcome here.
NO
Colin Rubenstein
Shaked was invited to Australia by AIJAC to participate in an all-Israeli panel on "Israel's challenges and opportunities in a new Middle East". AIJAC's Executive Director Colin Rubenstein did not respond to an invitation from The Jewish Independent to explain the organisation's reasons for inviting Shaked. He issued the statement below in response to the visa ban.
The decision to refuse a visa to former Israeli Justice and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on the grounds that she would vilify Australians and incite discord among the community is a disgraceful act of hostility towards a democratic ally.
It is extraordinary that a government that refuses to take any meaningful action against an Iranian ambassador who effectively calls for genocide would act so undiplomatically towards a friend. This will no doubt damage relations with Israel, a country from which Australia has received so many benefits.
We believe this is a cynical attempt to appear even-handed in the wake of some refusals of visas for Palestinians from Gaza who have concrete ties to, or evidence-based support for terrorism.
It is not the act of a responsible government, but further evidence of the loss of perspective and principle where the primary concern seems to be shoring up votes, since the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7.
Comments11
IY18 February at 12:25 am
With respect, Colin comes across as overly emotional and lacking nuance.
Menajem Schonberg30 November at 05:07 pm
Thanks for the link to her statement.She says to level Khan Younis and says to rebuild it in the same breath, watch it. She was always a responsible politician and to call her racist is far fetched. The refusal of the visa is a crazed action from a sinking government
Fiona27 November at 06:50 am
Ginger is spot on.
Shaked is opposed to Palestinian sovereignty, openly embraces settlement expansion, is actively involved in Yesha. Whilst these policies may be supported by a sizeable part of the J community here ( and in Israel) the Australian government has a responsibility to ensure those entering its shores are of good character, uphold freedom and democracy and do not endorse or incite violence.
Martin Munz27 November at 06:46 am
AIJAC’s invitation to Ayelet Shaked to speak in Australia seems to raise the question of Israeli extremism being imported here?
Harold Zwier27 November at 01:40 am
I liked the way Jack Ginger presented the case supporting the denial of a visa to Ayelet Shaked. I looked in vain for a similarly argued case by Colin Rubenstein for allowing her entry to Australia. Instead, Rubenstein concentrated on the anger he feels towards the Australian government and had nothing to say about why Shaked’s comments that vilify Palestinians should not preclude her from being allowed into Australia.
Motti27 November at 01:29 am
In case you missed it: Ayelet Shaked stating on Israeli TV that the Palestinian town of Kahn Younes should be “leveled like a soccer field” and that 2 million Palestinians should be made to leave the Gaza strip, i.e. she advocates for ethnic cleansing through bombardment:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JEu-dQWOlL4
Simon26 November at 10:41 pm
On balance, I support the government’s stance and agree with Jack Ginger’s lucidly presented perspective. My support is tentative, not because I’m sympathetic to Shaked, but because I believe in the value of robust debate and I’m sceptical of the benefits of silencing voices we don’t agree with. I concede there has to be a limit, and speech inciting hatred and vilifying on racial/ethnic/religious grounds is unacceptable. Where you draw the line is the tricky bit.
Deborah Stone26 November at 06:14 pm
The residence error has been corrected. It was made by an editor.
Ian Light26 November at 07:07 am
The lack of self- restraint on the part on the part of Ayelet Shaked is itself disgraceful.
For Post Holocaust Jewish People such crass generalisations about Palestinians are very disturbing.
True this is a Tribal War always barbaric but mainstream Israel even Netanyahu is far from these crass sayings .
Motti26 November at 06:44 am
Jack Ginger is right.
Ayelet Shaked is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
If Australia lets her in, there is no case to deny entry to antisemites and Holocaust debit deniers.
David Schulberg26 November at 06:13 am
Jack Ginger is wrong when he calls Ayelet Shaked a far right settler. According to Wikipedia she lives in Bavli, which is a neighborhood in central Tel Aviv.
To be denying a visa to her when she was able to come in the past is effectively rewarding Hamas for what it inflicted upon Israel on Oct 7th.
Clearly this appalling Labor government is showing that it is desperate to maintain a semblance of social cohesion in Australia, where the real situation is that antisemitism is running rife and Labor is pandering to violent elements in our society that are extremely hostile to Israel.