August 20, 2025 | 07:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, that he would not engage with the personal attacks leveled against him by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This marks his first public response since Netanyahu called him a weak leader and accused him of betraying Australia's Jewish community.
Netanyahu had given the Australian leader a deadline to change his policies amidst escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
"I treat leaders of other countries with respect and I engage with them in a diplomatic way," he told reporters in Adelaide, as reported by SBS.
"I don't take these things personally. I engage with people diplomatically. He has had similar things to say about other leaders."
Ministers Defend Albanese, Criticize Netanyahu's Rhetoric
Several of Albanese's senior ministers defended him, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke criticizing Netanyahu's personal attacks on social media.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many people you can leave hungry," Burke told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday, referencing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Since October 2023, nearly 62,100 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, which has devastated the enclave and left it facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
In his post on X, Netanyahu wrote, "History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews."
Netanyahu's Accusations and Ultimatum
A letter from Netanyahu to Albanese, first reported by Sky News, condemned the intensity of antisemitism in Australia under his watch. Netanyahu added that the Albanese government’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state nurtures this fire of antisemitism.
The letter urged Albanese to "replace weakness with action" by September 23, the Jewish New Year known as Rosh Hashanah.
This letter is similar to one also issued by Netanyahu to French President Emmanuel Macron, which also included allegations of antisemitism and a similar ultimatum.
France's presidency called Netanyahu's allegations "abject and erroneous," adding that "this is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation."
Editor’s Choice: Australia-Israel Tensions Escalate: Netanyahu Accuses Albanese of "Betrayal"
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