ZFA seeks urgent visa clarification from Home Affairs Minister
"This latest visa issue is adding to the perception that the Jewish community in Australia is being targeted following a drastic rise in antisemitism."
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) has requested clarification from the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke on recent reports of shifts to Australia’s issuing of visas to Israelis, resulting in visa denials or significant delays.
It comes after reports that two Israeli siblings were stuck in Thailand waiting for visas for Australia after being told they would have to provide a detailed statement on their military service.
The Sydney based family was set to celebrate the birthday their 99-year-old matriarch Jolan Berger, a Holocaust survivor.
According to The Nightly, six members of the family applied for Australian visas two months ago. All were granted immediately except for Omer and Ella, who were told to submit 13-page documents designed to vet combatants in foreign wars, and government officials.
The questions included: have you ever participated in any physical or psychological abuse against prisoners or civilians; have you ever been a guard/official at a detention centre, prison or transit camp; have you ever participated in the crime of genocide or a war crime?
One of the siblings, a member of the IDF’s Intelligence Corps, eventually gave up waiting for a visa and returned to Israel.
The latest incident follows Australia’s refusal to grant for visa for former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, with ZFA noting there has been an increase in wait times for visas to be issued to Israelis, from a few days previously, to over a month recently.
“There is a strong belief within the community that this has led to, what can only be described, as a form of shadow bans or additional barriers in visa processing that has previously not been problematic before October 7 2023, and the subsequent conflict,” ZFA said in a statement.
“This is directly impacting the capacity of the Jewish community to live a Jewish life, see family and friends from Israel, and for Jewish educational institutions to bring out Jewish educators.
“Whether this shift is intentional or not, this latest visa issue, which has never been problematic in the past, is adding to the perception that the Jewish community in Australia is being targeted following a drastic rise in antisemitism.
“We call on Minister Burke to urgently publicly clarify the government’s position on this critical issue, and to articulate if any changes have been made, and if so, which countries are impacted and why.”
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