Australian and Israeli leaders continued to trade barbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the feud when he lashed out at Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over Canabarra’s plan to recognize Palestine as a UN member state. 

Earlier this month, Australia followed France, the UK, and Canada in announcing it would recognize Palestine as a UN member state at the upcoming General Assembly in September. Canberra then barred a far-right Israeli lawmaker from visiting Australia, furthering the feud. 

Netanyahu attacked Albanese as being weak in a rant on X Tuesday. “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke hit back at Netanyahu on Wednesday. Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry,” he said. “What we’ve seen with some of the actions they are taking is a continued isolation of Israel from the world, and that is not in their interests either.”

Albanese downplayed the Israeli leader’s remarks, saying he doesn’t “take these things personally,” as Netanyahu. 

Burke is referring to the crisis in Gaza caused by Israel. The IDF has conducted a ruthless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least tens of thousands of Palestinians. Additionally, an Israeli siege of the Strip has caused widespread starvation. Over 100 Palestinian children have starved to death. 

Netanyahu also accused UK leader Keir Starmer of rewarding Hamas after London rolled out plans to recognize Palestine. “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW,” a post on the Prime Minister’s account said. “Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”