Israeli politician’s visa cancelled day before arrival

Israeli politician Simcha Rothman has had his visa cancelled by the Albanese Government just one day before he was scheduled to arrive in Australia for meetings with the Jewish community.

Rothman, who chairs the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and is a senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, has been banned from visiting Australia for three years.

In an exclusive interview with The AJN, Rothman revealed he received the cancellation email on the morning of his planned departure.

“I got an email early in the morning and I was supposed to fly tonight,” he said.

“I have to say, I was a little bit surprised, not because they banned my entry. I was afraid that a government that caves under terror will do so, even in my case, but I was a little bit surprised from the fact that the Australian government was not ashamed to put in writing that they are banning me because of quotes that represent the consensus in Israel.”