News report | | 28-08-2025 | ±3 minutes reading time

A few days before a planned speech, the Australian government revoked the visa of Israeli politician Simcha Rothman. Rothman is a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party.

Who is Simcha Rothman and what are his views?

Simcha Rothman's party is one of the coalition parties in the cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Rothman has previously spoken out in favour of expelling Palestinians from Gaza. He also denied that people in Gaza are suffering from hunger because of the war and the Israeli blockade. In May of this year, he said on British television that the United Kingdom should allow the inhabitants of Gaza to flee the area. Otherwise, this would help terrorists because they would use the inhabitants of Gaza as human shields. On the other hand, he argues that Israel should not take in refugees from Gaza because they would be ‘their enemies’. According to Rothman, Israel should not allow refugees to take over their country in times of war.

Where was Rothman expected in Australia?

The Israeli politician was expected to attend several events organised by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) in Sydney. However, Simcha Rothman's visa was unexpectedly revoked by the Australian government. In addition, Rothman is not allowed to travel to Australia for the next three years. The immigration service has the right to impose an entry ban in addition to rejecting the visa. This depends on the reasons for the rejection.

What does the Australian government say about this?

Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs, stated that Australia would not welcome anyone who came to spread polarisation and hatred. Burke said that his government would take tough action against people who wanted to come to Australia to sow hate and polarisation. Under their government, he said, Australia would always be a country where everyone was and felt safe.

What was Rothman's response?

The Israeli politician reacted angrily to the rejection of his visa. He wrote on social media that there were ‘Islamist mobs’ in the streets of Sydney and Melbourne who were unhappy with his arrival. He is also convinced that anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues would take place in Australia and that a growing sense of exclusion and aggression towards the Jewish community is emerging.

What is the context of this conflict?

In June, the Australian government, together with several other countries, imposed sanctions on several far-right members of the Israeli government, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. They are accused of inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Would you also like to travel to Australia?

For most European travellers, applying for a tourist visa for Australia is quite straightforward. The eVisitor visa is the most affordable and convenient way to meet Australia's visa requirements. You can submit your application entirely online from the comfort of your own home. On this website, you also have the option of using a application form with clear explanations and contacting our friendly support service at any time if you have questions or problems. You can read more about the requirements and the validity. The application procedure consists of filling in an online application form and uploading a photo of your passport. After submission, visas are usually granted within 5 days. If you want to leave at short notice, you have the option of submitting an urgent application. Most urgent applications are approved within 60 minutes.

e-Visa.ie is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the Australia visa. e-Visa.ie is an official partner of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, with membership number 57231226, acts as an intermediary, is no law firm, nor does it employ lawyers, does not provide legal advice, and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for a visa directly with the immigration service (0 AUD per visa, via immi.homeaffairs.gov.au). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.ie, our support centre is available to you 24/7. In addition, we manually check your application and all the documents you provide before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 0 AUD in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as € 24,95 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous Australia visa was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.