Zvi Yehezkeli, the Arab world commentator for the i24 channel, may find himself denied entry to Australia - ahead of a round of lectures and fundraising events planned for March.
Yehezkeli was invited to participate in two major events - in Sydney and Melbourne - organized by Jewish organizations and pro-Israel groups.
However, according to a report in the British Guardian, the reason for the delay in issuing the interpreter's visa is past statements about the war in Gaza - including the statement: "We should have dealt a blow that kills 100,000 Gazans... I know that not all of those 100,000 will be members of Hamas.".
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Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, commented on the visa application and noted that the matter was under review. He added that he was surprised that someone who made such statements would issue a series of lectures - before he had even received the visa.
Zvi Yehezkeli addressed the reports this evening (Tuesday): "I was supposed to raise donations for victims of war trauma, civilians and soldiers alike. Suddenly I start hearing voices from within the Jewish community, 'Yehezkeli said at the beginning of the war to take down 100,000 Hamas-affiliated Gazans, and Yehezkeli also said after the attack on Bondi Beach 'that there is a connection between anti-Semitism and the attack, to immigrants/immigration' - which is what really drove them crazy.
""So what to do? Australians are uncomfortable, they don't want to hear it. In two years they'll invite us to hear what the immigrants' takeover was like.".
