Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, has "abandoned" Australia's Jewish community and "betrayed" Israel.
The Israeli leader's words could further worsen diplomatic relations strained by the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu made the comments a day after Israel revoked the visas of Australian diplomats in the Palestinian Authority, following Australia's decision to recognize the Palestinian state and the revocation of the visa of an Israeli lawmaker.
"History will remember Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned the Jews of Australia," Netanyahu wrote on his X account.
The Israeli lawmaker was expected to meet with the Jewish community in Australia, which has faced a significant increase in anti-Semitic attacks since the start of Israel's war in Gaza almost two years ago.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Monday that Israel's decision to ban visas was an "unreasonable reaction" and said the Netanyahu government was increasing Israel's diplomatic isolation.
Israel is facing increasing international pressure due to the high number of civilian casualties from the military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Albanese said on August 12 that Netanyahu is "denying" the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
He made the statement a day after announcing that Australia could recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, following the lead of France, Britain and Canada.
Netanyahu has said that such an action would serve as retribution for Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.
Hamas is declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has since killed over 62.000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The war has also caused a famine, displaced the entire population of Gaza, and prompted charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
Israel denies these accusations.REL
