Who is Hillel Fuld and why has Australia denied him a visa?

American-Israeli technology entrepreneur and Israel advocate Hillel Fuld has been denied a visa to Australia on the grounds that he might incite hatred.

Fuld was scheduled to visit Australia in mid-June on a fundraising visit for Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross. He was due to speak to Magen David Adom fundraisers in Sydney and Melbourne, and to additional events at schools and synagogues.

The Department of Home Affairs wrote to him on Friday cancelling his visa on the grounds that he might use the platform to incite hatred “against particular segments of the community, namely the Islamic population”.

Fuld’s first claim to fame is as a technology business advisor, who provides marketing tips for growing a business or personal brands. But in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on October 7, Fuld shut down his multi-million-dollar tech consulting business to focus on pro-Israel advocacy.

Drawing on his expertise in online marketing and established tech networks, Fuld built a large following, with his social media content reaching millions.

Fuld’s views were shaped by the murder of his brother Ari Fuld, a right-wing American-Israeli activist, who was stabbed by a 17-year-old Palestinian in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.

“He (Ari Fuld) had no tolerance for those using terms like "West Bank" or advocating for a Palestinian state. He would correct them, reminding them it was Judea and Samaria, and that such a state never existed… on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis, I ask myself, “What would Ari do?” and then I act on it,” Fuld wrote on Ynet earlier this year.