Does Anthony Albanese Support Israel?

Tal Feldman Feb 20, 2025 Updated Aug 07, 2026 4 min read

Short answer: No, not in the way pro-Israel readers typically mean "support." As of August 2026, Anthony Albanese, Australia's Labor Prime Minister, has condemned Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack unequivocally and repeatedly affirmed Israel's right to exist, but his government formally recognized a Palestinian state in September 2025, he has publicly called Netanyahu "in denial" over Gaza's suffering, and relations with the Netanyahu government are openly hostile.

What Anthony Albanese has actually said and done

October 8, 2024: On the first anniversary of October 7, Albanese moved a motion in Australia's Parliament unequivocally condemning Hamas's attack, calling the killing of more than 1,200 Israelis "the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust." He later attended a Melbourne vigil with members of the Jewish community, according to the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue, corroborated by official PM Transcripts.
August 11, 2025: Albanese announced Australia would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly's 80th session in September, conditioned on Palestinian Authority commitments including excluding Hamas from any governing role, demilitarization, and elections, while reaffirming Israel's right to exist. Details are in the Office of the Prime Minister's statement, reported also by NBC News.
August 12, 2025: Discussing a prior call with Netanyahu, Albanese told ABC that the Israeli prime minister was "in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people" in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel, corroborated by the Jerusalem Post.
August 19, 2025: After Australia canceled the visa of far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman and Israel retaliated by revoking visas for Australia's Palestinian Authority representatives, Netanyahu posted on X that "history will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews," per the Times of Israel, with Albanese's response covered by SBS News.
September 2025 (week of the UN General Assembly): Albanese formally signed and posted Australia's statement recognizing the State of Palestine, following through on his August announcement, per his official X account, corroborated by SBS News.
December 14, 2025: After a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney's Bondi Beach killed 15 people in an attack targeting the Jewish community, Albanese told the Jewish community, "We stand with you, we embrace you," extended funding for Jewish community security, and announced a review of how law enforcement and intelligence had handled the threat. Netanyahu responded that Albanese's Palestinian-statehood stance "pours fuel on the antisemitic fire," according to NPR, corroborated by Al Jazeera.
December 2025 (one week after the attack): At a memorial vigil marking one week since the Bondi Beach attack, Albanese was booed by attendees who accused his government of failing to protect the Jewish community from antisemitism, reported by the Times of Israel and Fox News.

The bigger picture

Albanese has led Australia's Labor government since May 2022 and remains prime minister as of August 2026. His record on Israel is genuinely mixed and has grown more contentious over time rather than settling into a clear "pro" or "anti" camp.

On one side, he condemned Hamas's October 7 massacre without qualification, spoke of the "largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust," attended Jewish community vigils personally, and after the December 2025 Bondi Beach shooting extended emergency security funding to Jewish community groups and ordered a review of how the attack was handled. His government's Palestinian-statehood recognition was explicitly conditioned on Palestinian Authority commitments that excluded Hamas from governance and reaffirmed Israel's right to exist, not an unconditional embrace of Palestinian claims.

On the other side, Australia broke with longstanding practice to formally recognize a Palestinian state in September 2025, alongside the UK, France, and Canada, over open Israeli objections. Albanese has criticized Netanyahu by name, calling him "in denial" about Gaza's humanitarian toll. Diplomatic relations deteriorated sharply in August 2025 over dueling visa cancellations, and Netanyahu has repeatedly attacked Albanese in personal terms, most sharply after the Bondi Beach attack, accusing his policies of fueling antisemitism. Domestically, Albanese has also faced sustained criticism, including from parts of Australia's own Jewish community, over what critics call a slow and inadequate response to a documented surge in antisemitic incidents, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry tallying roughly 3,700 incidents in the two years after October 7, about five times the pre-attack rate.

There is no indication in the record that Albanese has visited Israel as prime minister, donated to Israeli causes, or has any personal Jewish-identity connection. He is a longtime member of the Australian Labor Party, which historically supported Israel's founding but has shifted its platform over recent decades.

The bottom line

Anthony Albanese is not a reliable supporter of Israel by the standard pro-Israel measure. He condemns Hamas terrorism plainly and has moved to protect Australia's Jewish community after antisemitic attacks, but his government recognized a Palestinian state over Israeli objections, he has criticized Netanyahu directly and by name, and the working relationship between Canberra and Jerusalem is openly strained as of August 2026. Shoppers looking for an unambiguous ally will not find one in Albanese; the honest picture is a leader trying to hold a middle position that has satisfied neither side.

Wear where you stand

When world leaders send mixed signals, plenty of people choose to make their own position unmistakable. Our I Stand With Israel collection lets you say plainly what politicians won't, whether that's on a bracelet, a tee, or a piece you wear every day.

Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.