Former minister Ayelet Shaked said on Thursday that Australia denied her a visa to enter the country.

The reason? Shaked’s opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, a fact that might “incite discord.”

Shaked was invited to participate in a conference of  the conference of the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) for a “strategic dialogue” between Israel and Australia.

The head of the AIJAC, Colin Rubenstein, called the step “disgraceful.”

“It is extraordinary that a government that refuses to take any meaningful action against an Iranian ambassador who effectively calls for genocide would act so undiplomatically towards a friend,” he said.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler questioned: “How is it conceivable that our government has granted a visa to a Palestinian man from Gaza who reportedly has had close family connections and personal interactions with terrorist organizations, yet refuses entry to a former government minister of a democratic nation and one of our Australia’s friends?”

Shaked said that the decision by the Labour Party is “clear evidence of its hypocrisy and its hostile attitude towards Israel. The government claims to be democratic but acts to silence voices which oppose its extremist pro-Palestinian agenda.”

“Refusing entry to a former minister in the Israeli government only because of my opposition to the creation of a Palestinian terror state reveals the true face of the current Australian government – a government which chose to support Israel’s enemies and harm the historic relationship between the countries. This is an antisemitic decision and a black day for Australian democracy.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)