Australian news and politics live: Australian Jewry calls for Netanyahu-Albanese ‘spat’ to end

Disgraced former Labor MP Eddie Obeid has walked free from jail on parole after he was found guilty misconduct while in public office.

Obeid was pictured being escorted from jail under a white umbrella on Wednesday morning, after almost four years behind bars.

He will spend the remainder of his seven-year sentence in the community under supervision.

Obeid was once considered a major powerbroker with in the NSW Labor Party, but was expelled in 2013.

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The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has called for restraint amid an escalating diplomatic row between Australia and Israel, warning that a tit-for-tat approach could damage decades of cooperation.

Tensions have flared after the Albanese government cancelled the visa of Israeli MP Simcha Rothman, prompting the Netanyahu government to revoke visas for Australian diplomats in the Palestinian territories.

The Council’s co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin urged both governments not to jeopardise hard‑won ties across trade, security and science.

“Allies with extensive economic, scientific and cultural ties should not be engaging in a diplomatic tit-for-tat that erodes the goodwill and cooperation built up over decades,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said.

“Calm heads need to take control of the situation otherwise there will be a risk to some $2 billion dollars in bilateral trade, extensive investment in Australian start-ups, vital security cooperation and the Israeli-made medicine and medical technology that we all rely on.

“There are real-life consequences here and we want to see the countries work through any issues before things get out of hand.”

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Mr Netanyahu escalated tensions after Australia cancelled the visa of far‑right Israeli MP Simcha Rothman, branding Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “weak” and retaliating by stripping visas from Australian diplomats in the West Bank.

“It’s a lashing out,” Mr Burke told ABC Radio National.

“Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry.”

He said Mr Albanese had shown strength by personally calling the Israeli leader before announcing Australia would support Palestinian statehood at the UN, hearing him out, and then standing firm on the decision.

The war of words comes as Mr Netanyahu sent letters to world leaders, including Mr Albanese, warning that recognising Palestine amounted to “appeasement” and risked emboldening Hamas.

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie says Benjamin Netanyahu’s scathing assessment of Anthony Albanese being “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews” is something the Prime Minister has himself to blame for.

Senator McKenzie dealt Mr Albanese a brutally direct assessment of the escalating situation on Tuesday, saying the hit was in part due to the Albanese Government cancelling an Israeli politician’s visa for Australia, and the lack of urgency is keeping the Jewish Australians safe.

“He (Mr Albanese) has been slow to act on the abuse of Australians who are Jewish. He has been slow to act on the advice from his own anti-Semitic envoy, who handed her recommendations to him a while ago. I’m looking forward to seeing that,” Senator McKenzie told Sunrise.

“His decision to recognise a Palestinian state without the hostages being returned, without the terror group surrendering, rewards terrorists and makes our world less safe. Polling out this week shows that over 70 per cent of Australians don’t agree with his decision.

“We need to make sure that our country remembers that Israel has been a very good friend to Australia … so I think it’s a really disappointing turn of affairs and the responsibility for it lays at the Prime Minister’s feet.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met with leaders overnight at the Coalition of the Willing.

It comes after US President Donald Trump metwith European Leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to stop the Russian-Ukraine confllict.

”Australia continues to stand with Ukraine. Tonight, I took part in another meeting of the Coalition of the Willing hosted by Keir Starmer, alongside President Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, and other democratic leaders,” he said on X.

“Australia welcomes ongoing efforts towards achieving a just and enduring peace, including yesterday’s discussions in Washington.”

US President Donald Trump says he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but concedes that the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal at all, adding this would create a “rough situation” for Mr Putin.

In an interview with Fox News, Mr Trump said he expected that Mr Putin’s course of action would become clear in the next couple of weeks.

Mr Trump also again ruled out US boots on the ground in Ukraine and gave no specifics about the security guarantees he has previously said his country could offer Ukraine under any post-war settlement.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem (reaching a peace deal), to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they’re all tired of it but you never know,” Mr Trump said.

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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is blaming Anthony Albanese for what she called a collapse in relations with Isarel, after Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the Prime Minister.

Israel’s Foreign Minister released a statement saying the Australian government is fuelling anti-semitism.

The fallout began after the Federal Government revoked the visa of Israeli MP Simcha Rothman, prompting Israel to retaliate by cancelling visas for Australian officials to the Palestinian Authority.

“Regardless of which party is in power, the Prime Minister of Australia deserves respect. But respect is a two-way street,” Ms Ley said.

“Anthony Albanese has mismanaged international relationships to the point where he now finds himself at the centre of a troubling diplomatic incident.

“This is a direct consequence of bad decisions he and his government have taken that do not advance Australia’s interests.

“It is up to Anthony Albanese to explain how he is going to repair this relationship which is now in tatters as a result of his failures of leadership.”