Opposition leader Peter Dutton has begun a three-day trip to Israel, where he will meet with senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Mr Dutton's trip will run from Monday to Thursday, August 1, and will involve him meeting the hostages of the October 7 Hamas attack, and their families.
Shortly after landing on Monday evening, Sky News' Sharri Markson said Dutton met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and then met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
His trip also included visits to kibbutzes that came under fire from Hamas, as well as the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where more than 350 civilians were killed. a surprise attack by Hamas militants.
In a statement announcing his trip, Mr Dutton said the relationship between Australia and Israel was “deep and enduring”.
“Today, Australia and Israel have strong ties in trade, agriculture, technology, defense and more,” he said.
Labor watchdog Cameron Milner applauded Mr Dutton's move on Sky News, saying it was “what the Prime Minister (Anthony Albanese) should and should not be doing”.
“He (Mr Dutton) is really doing things for Australia internationally, not going on a Contiki tour with Toto One and having champagne at the White House. (He is) doing real international relations,” said Mr Milner, who was Mr Shorten's former chief of staff.
Mr Dutton's move was welcomed by the Australian Jewish Association, which issued a statement thanking the opposition leader for X.
“After Anthony Albanese has so far refused to visit after October 7, despite many trips abroad, it is great to see someone in Australia as Prime Minister,” they wrote.
In January, Foreign Minister Penny Wong became the highest-ranking Australian official to visit Israel and the Palestinian-occupied West Bank.
He has been criticized for not visiting key sites involved in the October 7 massacre.
Mr Dutton's trip also came after a joint call by Mr Albanese, Canadian leader Justin Trudeau and New Zealand leader Christopher Luxon for Israel to end its ground and air campaign in Gaza.
The attack is believed to have killed more than 39,000 Palestinian civilians, and displaced 2.3m residents into shelters.
Mr Albanese, Mr Luxon and Mr Trudeau urged the Israeli government to “listen to the concerns of the international community”, saying the human suffering in Gaza was “catastrophic”.
Condemning the October 7 attack and Hamas' “ongoing terrorist activities,” they said “the safety of civilians is paramount,” and supported a two-state solution.
