US pressures Australia over ban on Israeli-American speaker Hillel Fuld
Australia’s decision to bar tech figure Hillel Fuld from entering the country has sparked a diplomatic rebuke from the US.
The Albanese government is facing diplomatic pressure from Washington after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee personally appealed to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to overturn a visa cancellation of Israeli-American tech advocate Hillel Fuld.
The rare intervention came hours after The Australian revealed how the Department of Home Affairs quietly cancelled Mr Fuld’s travel visa and accused him of using social media to deny “documented atrocities” in Gaza, promote Islamophobic views and spread inflammatory content that could incite division amid heightened community tensions.
In a lengthy email sent directly to Mr Burke, Mr Huckabee described Mr Fuld as a “highly respected” dual US-Israeli citizen who poses “no threat of any kind” to Australia and urged the minister to allow his visit for “the sake of the very important charity event” organised by Magen David Adom Australia.
“Mr Fuld is highly respected member in his community and well known in Israel. While he holds strong views against terrorism and the kind of massacre that occurred on October 7, he would pose no threat to the people of Australia by his actions or words,” Mr Huckabee, governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, wrote.
“I fully respect the decision to grant the visa is solely in your hands and you have a sovereign right to make the decision to deny entry to someone you consider a threat to national security (but) I do not feel Mr Fuld poses any threat of any kind. I would respectfully request … you would be willing to review his visa application and grant the opportunity to make his brief visit for the sake of the very important charity event for the humanitarian emergency medical service organisation.”
The cancellation has sparked outrage among Jewish groups and prompted criticism from Coalition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie, who demanded answers from the Albanese government over what he described as a troubling precedent.
In a statement to The Australian, Mr Burke said the country did not want to import “hatred”.
“Australians have a strong view that we don’t want hatred from overseas brought here,” he said.
“This power has been used repeatedly over many years by ministers. It is currently being tested in the High Court in the Candace Owens matter. Last term, there was bipartisan support for the use of this power. If that is no longer the case, Mr Hastie should say so.”
It’s understood Mr Fuld insists on attending the scheduled events virtually if the visa decision is upheld.
Mr Hastie questioned whether controversial political opinions were now considered “a risk to the health, safety and good order to the Australian community” as concluded by the Home Affairs Minister.
“The opposition wants to see this power applied fairly and consistently,” he said. “Now that Mr Burke has established a tougher standard for issuing visas based on political opinion, we will hold him to it – especially when it applies to current visa holders stoking ancient hatreds in Australia.
“To be clear, we will not let Mr Burke pick favourites in relation to this conflict.”
Goldstein MP Tim Wilson also wrote to Mr Burke seeking clarification of any violations to commonwealth or state laws that justified denying Mr Fuld a visa. “It seems denying him a visa is less to do with the substance of his content and more to do with the cause he advocates for,” he wrote.
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler said his organisation was also in direct contact with the federal government and had urged them to review their decision as a matter of urgency. “The decision to cancel Hillel Fuld’s visa just days before he was due to speak is difficult to reconcile with the actual purpose of his visit, which is to speak about entrepreneurship and help raise money for emergency medical services in Israel that treat everyone, regardless of faith or background,” Mr Leibler said.
“Whatever one’s opinion is of his online commentary, there is no plausible basis to suggest he would be inciting division by supporting a humanitarian cause.”
The Australian can also reveal that the department of Home Affairs made the decision to review Mr Fuld’s visa after receiving a number of appeals from pro-Palestinian activists. The Department of Foreign Affairs also received several appeals by activists to cancel his visa.
In one email to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, an activist wrote that Mr Fuld’s record of spreading “hate speech” and “historic revisionism” was not only “abhorrent” but dangerous.
“His conduct poses a serious threat to Australia’s social cohesion, racial harmony, and public interest,” the email stated.
Since 2013, more than 2490 people have been cancelled using section 116 of the Migration Act.
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