Attorney General Mark Dreyfus set to fly to Israel to fix Albanese and Netanyahu government relationship

A top Labor minister is reportedly set to pack their bags to fly to the Israel on an urgent diplomatic repair job amid mounting tension between the Albanese and Netanyahu governments.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is set to travel to Israel within weeks to mend the relationship between Australia and Israel. But a spokesperson for Mr Dreyfus told The Nightly this is not the case.

Tension has mounted between Israel and Australia in recent months after a spate of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel attacks across Australia — including the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne, and the vandalism of cars and properties in a Sydney suburb well-populated by Jewish people.

Last month, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Australian government of allowing anti-Semitism to fester and that the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne could not be separated from the “extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia”.

The accusation came days after Australia’s ambassador to Israel was summoned for a rare dressing down by the nation’s foreign minister in Israel over the Australian government’s decision to deny former top Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked a visa on grounds she could threaten social cohesion.

Australia also reportedly angered Israel by voting in favour of a United Nations resolution demanding the Middle East nation end its presence in the the occupied Palestinian territories as soon as possible and to evacuate all settlers from the West Bank and Gaza.

In a speech days later, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said: “It is not antisemitic to expect that Israel should comply with the international law that applies to all countries.”

“Nor is it anti-emitic to call for children and other civilians to be protected, or to call for a two-state solution that enables Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.”

Mr Dreyfus, a Jewish man and one of the strongest supporters of Israel in Labor, had planned to travel to Israel for the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks last year, but had to cancel the trip when Iran launched missile strikes on the Jewish nation.

A spokesperson from the Attorney-General’s office told The Nightly Mr Dreyfus is “seeking to reschedule his October 2024 visit to Israel which had to be cancelled”.

The spokesperson said further details would be released about the prospective visit “in due course”.

If his visit comes to fruition, it will be the first by a government minister since Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong stepped foot in the Middle East almost a year ago.

The SMH said Mr Dreyfus is expected to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other senior officials on the trip, during which he will emphasise the longstanding ties between Australia and Israel.