CANBERRA – The government of Australia is under fire for denying visas to fleeing Palestinians in large numbers as the violence in the region continues.
The figures recently confirmed by Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke portray a scary picture as the government of Australia rejected 7111 Palestinian applicants out of the 10,033 applications launched in the past 10 months. In comparison, 2922 Palestinians were granted entry into Australia, and the percentage of approvals comes out to be merely 29 percent.
Of the 2,922 Palestinians who were granted visas, approximately 1,300 refugees have settled in Australia, with most of them reportedly holding short-term visas.
On the other hand, the Australian government was very generous in terms of granting visas to Israelis. For instance, 8746 Israeli citizens have been granted visas since the October 7 attacks, with only 235 visa applications rejected.
Though rights groups have criticized the Australian authorities for denying visas to Palestinians, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Wednesday that there should be a complete ban on people entering Australia from Gaza, citing national security concerns.
Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Minister defended his stance before the lawmakers and said all granted visas irrespective of the country were cross-referenced with an Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) watch list updated every 24 hours.
“Every single visa that has been issued by this government and by the previous government went through that check against ASIO’s information,” he affirmed.
When asked whether visas were granted without an in-person interview, the minister said the face-to-face assessment was not possible due to Gaza being a war zone, adding that this was not a compromise on national security.
In a statement, Amnesty International denounced the move of the Australian government regarding the denial of visas to Palestinians in such large numbers.
‘The Australian Government’s rejection of over 7,000 Palestinians fleeing Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza is a shocking abdication of its legal and moral obligations to provide safety to those in crisis. Despite the catastrophic toll on Gaza’s population, the government’s response remains inadequate,’ read a statement issued by the group.
