Australia has cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman and barred him from entering the country for three years, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on 18 August. Burke said the government would not allow visitors who "spread hate and division," citing Rothman’s past remarks urging Israeli control over the occupied West Bank and describing Palestinian children in Gaza as "enemies." The Knesset member, a leading figure in the Religious Zionism party and a key architect of the Netanyahu government’s contentious judicial overhaul, had been due to address Jewish community events in Melbourne and Sydney starting this week. Within hours of the announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar revoked the visas of Australian representatives posted to the Palestinian Authority and instructed Israel’s embassy in Canberra to scrutinise future official Australian visa applications. Sa’ar linked the measure both to Rothman’s exclusion and to Canberra’s recent decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, calling the Australian moves “shameful and unacceptable.” The tit-for-tat visa actions deepen diplomatic strains that have grown since Australia joined several Western nations in June in sanctioning senior Israeli ministers over incitement in the West Bank. Canberra has previously denied entry to other controversial figures, including former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked, while Israel has criticised Australia for what it sees as an erosion of support amid the continuing Gaza conflict.