The Israeli flag at the Australian capital’s International Flag Display was vandalized and stolen weeks ago, but the glaring omission among the symbols of 107 other countries has led Israel’s diplomatic mission to question why their flag has not yet been replaced.
The Israeli flag was stolen from the Canberra display on August 26, according to Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Policing, which encouraged the public to provide information on the incident. The National Capital Authority said that it is aware of the missing flag, which was removed without its permission or knowledge, but had to repair damage caused to the flagpole to enable the installation of a new Israeli flag.
Israeli ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said in a Sunday LinkedIn post that it was “outrageous” that the flag was “still missing.”
“Where has the flag of Israel gone?” Maimon wrote. “Defaced, removed, and now missing, the absence of our nation’s flag from Canberra’s International Flag Display is both noticeable and unacceptable.”
Australian Senator Michaelia Cash said on X/Twitter on Sunday that whatever the reason for the flag’s absence from the display, “it should be restored as soon as possible.”
The missing Israeli flag at the display of Australia’s diplomatic bonds with nations around the world comes at a time of tension between the two countries.
Diplomatic spat between Israel and Australia
On August 11, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia would recognize a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Albanese on August 20, calling him a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews to a wave of antisemitism that has gripped the country.
Two days before Netanyahu’s remarks, a visa was denied to Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman, who had been set to visit Australia for a solidarity tour with the Jewish community.
In response to the August 18 decision, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that he would revoke the residency permits of Australia’s representative to the Palestinian Authority.