Bibi and Sharri

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state as a “sign of weakness” and a major source of tension between Canberra and Jerusalem.

In an interview with Sky News Australia‘s Sharri Markson broadcast on Thursday, Netanyahu said the Albanese government had exacerbated diplomatic tensions by failing to show strength at a time when Israel was fighting “a war on behalf of Western civilization.”

He also urged Albanese to confront what he called a “tsunami of antisemitism” that had spread in Australia since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Speaking from Jerusalem, Netanyahu revealed to Sky News Australia that U.S. President Donald Trump considered Australia’s move, along with similar actions by other countries, to recognise a Palestinian state as “irrelevant.”

According to Netanyahu, Trump fully backs Israel’s military goal of capturing Gaza City and eliminating Hamas.

“I think we’re on the verge of completing this war, a seven-front war that includes Iran and its proxies,” Netanyahu said. “And when that happens, I think we’ll have tremendous opportunities to expand the peace. I myself made with President Trump the Abraham Accords, four peace treaties with the Arab states that hadn’t been done for a quarter of a century, and I think after our victory we’re gonna have plenty more.”

In the interview, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel would continue a full military takeover of Gaza even if Hamas accepted a ceasefire offer.

“There was never a question that we’re not going to leave Hamas there,” he said. “I think President Trump put it best, he says Hamas has to disappear from Gaza. It’s like leaving the SS in Germany. You know, you clear out most of Germany, but you leave out Berlin with the SS and the Nazi core there.”

He added, “I’ve said that this war could end today. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and releases the remaining 50 hostages, at least 20 of which are alive, and that’s our goal to get all the hostages out, to disarm Hamas, demilitarize Gaza and give a different future for Gazans.”

Netanyahu underlined that Israel did not intend to “occupy Gaza” but rather to “free” it from Hamas rule and secure lasting peace. “It’s to free Gaza, free them from Hamas tyranny, free Israel and others from Hamas terrorism, give Gaza and Israel a different future, and I think we’re close to doing it. It’ll have to, of course, mean getting the last strongholds of Hamas; they shouldn’t be there. Everybody understands that.”

Netanyahu said relations between Jerusalem and Canberra had reached their lowest point due to what he described as Albanese’s lack of conviction. He contrasted this with the historic friendship between the countries, recalling his 2017 visit to Beersheva to mark the centenary of the Australian Light Horse’s liberation of the city from Ottoman control. He warned that Albanese’s stance risked betraying that legacy.

He sent a message directly to Australians: “I want to assure you that I want to assure them [Australians] that we will win.” He cautioned that some Western leaders were trying to appease Hamas at Israel’s expense, comparing their behaviour to feeding “the crocodile of militant Islam.”

Netanyahu accused Albanese of showing weakness after the Oct. 7 attacks and said his legacy would be damaged. “I’m sure he has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters,” Netanyahu said.

He stressed that the Palestinians under Hamas already had effective independence. “To offer them a state, when they had a state, a de facto state in Gaza, and they use it for murder, pillage and monstrous crimes is to reward terrorism, and I think that’s a sign of weakness that, as I said, will tarnish the prime minister’s record, and I said so openly.”

Drawing parallels to the 1938 Munich Agreement, Netanyahu argued that the West was again sacrificing a smaller ally to appease aggressors. “It’s appeasement, pure and simple,” he said.

He added, “When the worst terrorist organization on earth, these savages who murdered women, raped them, beheaded men, burned babies alive in front of their parents, and took hundreds of hostages, when these people congratulate the prime minister of Australia, you know something is wrong.”

Erez Linn/Israel Hayom via JNS