Australia Denies Visa to Former Israeli Minister on Character Grounds
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Australia has denied a visitor visa to Ayelet Shaked, a former Israeli interior and justice minister, citing concerns that she could "vilify" Australians or "incite discord."
The decision, communicated by the Department of Home Affairs on Thursday night, blocks Shaked from attending a security conference scheduled in Canberra next week.
“After careful consideration … a delegate of the minister decided to refuse to grant you a visa,” the Department stated.
The refusal invokes sections of Australia’s Migration Act, which allow the minister to deny a visa if the applicant is deemed likely to “vilify a segment of the Australian community, or incite discord in the Australian community or a segment of that community.”
The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
It comes amid a shift in Australia's stance toward "Israel," highlighted by its criticism of the regime's genocide in Gaza and aggression in Lebanon.
Shaked reacted angrily, calling the move "shameful" and a betrayal of the solidarity expected between democracies.
In the past, Shaked has publicly boasted about collaborating with Facebook to suppress Palestinian content, claiming the platform complied with about 95% of her censorship requests.
The visa denial follows Australia’s recent support for a United Nations resolution affirming Palestinian sovereignty.
Last week, Australia joined 158 countries, including the UK and New Zealand, in backing a resolution recognizing the “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources.”
A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong noted that the vote reflects international concern over "Israel’s" settlement activities, land dispossession, demolitions, and settler violence against Palestinians.
“We have been clear that such acts undermine stability and prospects for a two-state solution,” the spokesperson said.
“This resolution importantly recalls UN security council resolutions that reaffirm the importance of a two-state solution, which has long had bipartisan support,” they added.