Anthony Albanese has downplayed a remarkable sledge from Benjamin Netanyahu, as a senior minister called out Israel’s prime minister over “blowing up” Palestinians and letting children starve.

Netanyahu labelled Albanese a “weak politician” in an extraordinary social media post on Tuesday night (AEST), claiming he had abandoned Jewish Australians.

The scathing attack came as Australia and Israel are locked in a visa row and amid Israel’s upset over the Albanese government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

On Wednesday, Albanese said he would continue to engage with Netanyahu, brushing off the personal attack from Israel’s leader.

“I don’t take these things personally. I engage with people diplomatically. (Netanyahu) has had similar things to say about other leaders,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.

“There is a global concern, because people want to see an end to the cycle of violence that we have seen for far too long. That is what Australians want to see as well.”

Albanese said he would continue to press Australia’s position on Palestine to Israel’s leader.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke returned serve against the increasingly “isolated” Israeli prime minister.

“Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done,” Burke told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

“When there’s a decision that we know Israel won’t like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu, he has the conversation, he says exactly what we’re intending to do, and has the chance for the objections to be made person-to-person.”

He said Netanyahu was lashing out, as he had done to other Western leaders who vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood.

It also emerged that Netanyahu had sent a scathing letter directly to Albanese, a copy of which was obtained by Sky News.

The letter urged the Australian prime minister to “replace weakness with action”.

“Prime Minister, antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025,” it read.

The letter said that antisemitism in Australia had “intensified under your watch”.

“In June, vandals defaced a historic Melbourne synagogue with graffiti praising Iran and calling to ‘Free Palestine’,” Netanyahu wrote.

“In July, arsonists targeted the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation during Shabbat dinner, forcing twenty worshippers to flee for their lives.

“That same night, masked rioters stormed an Israeli-owned restaurant in central Melbourne, destroying property, hurling furniture and shouting ‘Death to the IDF’. These are not isolated incidents. This is an epidemic.”

The tit-for-tat comments followed escalating diplomatic tensions after the federal government denied a visa to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was set to undertake a speaking tour of Australia at the invitation of a fringe Jewish group.

The Israeli government retaliated by cancelling the visas of three Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordering embassy staff to apply extra scrutiny to Australian applications to enter Israel.

In revoking the visas of the Australian diplomats, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar cited Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine, as well as the refusal to grant visas to Mr Rothman and former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.

Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, said while the language from the Israeli prime minister was a “poor reflection”, he also wants a softening of language from Burke.

“I completely understand that Tony feels passionately about this, but personally, what I would say in this moment is what’s really important is that everyone take s a big, deep breath,” he told ABC Radio.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister needed to outline how Australia would repair diplomatic ties with Israel, but also said Albanese needed to be respected by other world leaders.

“While our prime minister, whoever that may be, should be respected, what has happened is that the relationship has deteriorated, and that failure is becoming apparent,” she told reporters in Sydney.

“Respect goes both ways, and the series of events we have seen in the relationship between Israel and Australia are regrettable.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the Jewish community was disturbed by the deteriorating relationship between the two nations, urging for a lowering of the tone of debate.

“None of this is served or advanced through this public exchange of insults that’s taken place right now,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“I hope it’s just rhetoric that can blow over and, again, I hope that leaders can pick up the phone and talk through their differences.”

Ryvchin said the Jewish community had not felt abandoned by the government, despite Netanyahu’s criticisms.

-with AAP