Australia bans pro-Israel influencer weeks after Bondi Beach terror attack
Late last month, the Australian government canceled a travel visa for outspoken Jewish influencer Sammy Yahood over anti-Islam comments posted to social media — critics say this is just the latest instance of targeting pro-Israel voices by authorities.
In an Instagram post, Yahood claimed the Australian government "called up the UAE," to be sure that he could not board a plane to Melbourne.
He said he booked his travel via the United Arab Emirates three days before the Bondi Beach terror attack that killed 15 people assembled for a beachside Hannukah celebration. Following the tragedy, he said that he hoped his visit would give the Jewish community "some hope for the future."
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said of his visa cancellation that, "spreading hatred is not a good reason to come" to Australia, the Guardian newspaper reported. On social media, the controversial influencer, Yahood, has called for a ban on Islam, saying, "it’s time to stop being tolerant of those that are not tolerant of us."
Avi Yemini, chief reporter for Rebel News Online in Australia, told Fox News Digital that Yahood "is just the latest name on a growing list of Jews being barred from entering Australia, not because they pose any genuine security threat, but because this government is pandering to a specific voting bloc."
Yemini claimed that "only one Islamist extremist has been stopped under this government. In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, that imbalance tells you everything you need to know about their priorities."
The Australian government blocked the visa of Lebanese preacher Hussain Makke in March 2025, according to the Herald Sun. Makke had planned to speak during Ramadan in Melbourne and Sydney. His visa was canceled after he attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whom he described as the "greatest freedom fighter."
Fox News Digital also found that in Aug. 2025, the government blocked travel for a Palestinian cookbook author who openly expressed support for Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, the Sydney Morning Herald said. SBS reported that a 61-year-old Palestinian woman had her visa canceled while in Australia in July 2025.
Three other Israelis were also canceled after Oct. 7, 2023 by the Australian government. In June last year, the visa of prominent pro-Israel activist Hillel Fuld was stopped. Fuld’s brother was killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem in 2018.
The Times of Israel reported that in a letter sent to Fuld from the Ministry of Home Affairs, his visit would incite "particular segments of the community, namely the Islamic population," the report claimed.
Two months later, the government canceled a visa for right-wing Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who had a speaking tour scheduled in Melbourne and Sydney. Rothman is a member of Israel's governing coalition.
In 2024, Burke canceled a visa for former Israeli parliamentarian Ayelet Shaked, citing remarks about Palestinians that he felt were "demeaning," according to ABC News.
The Australian Embassy and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not answer questions about Yemini’s claims. The press secretary of the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, declined to respond without Fox News Digital naming sources of criticism against the pm.
The Home Affairs Ministry told Fox News Digital it could not comment on specific cases and did not respond to additional questions.
The environment inside Australia remains tense following the Bondi Beach massacre.
Former Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison recently drew condemnation when he suggested that Muslim leaders should be licensed to preach, and that their teaching should be translated into English. Morrison suggested that Muslims in Australia should take "accountability and responsibility" for radicalization, the Australian reported.
The site also claimed that one of the shooters had ties to Sydney preacher Wissam Haddad, some of whose lectures ABC News says were ordered removed from social media by a federal judge because they were found to contain "racist and antisemitic" content.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) produced a 15-minute video which they claim contains multiple instances of incitement to violence towards Jews, recorded at protests in Sydney and at a variety of mosques within 30–40 minutes of Bondi Beach.
Albanese’s press secretary did not respond to questions about whether Albanese had made any effort to respond to the conduct shown in the video.
The Australian National Imams’ Council called Morrison’s remarks "reckless, irresponsible, and deeply ill-informed," and said it was unacceptable "to suggest that an entire faith community should be held accountable for the actions of two (alleged) criminal offenders, both of whom law enforcement agencies have confirmed acted alone."
Yemini said the response to Morrison "is part of a broader attempt to shut down any honest conversation about what is driving the surge in antisemitism and ideological violence in Australia." He said that Australians were told for years that "it was reasonable to distinguish between Islam and radical Islam. Now, we’re being told to ignore the fact that attackers themselves cite religion as their motivation."