Benjamin Netanyahu has launched an extraordinary broadside against Anthony Albanese, labelling Australia’s prime minister “weak” in a social media post, hours after local Jewish groups called for calm in diplomatic relations.“History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” read a post on X from the account of Israel’s prime minister, on Tuesday evening Australian time.Albanese’s office was approached for comment.It came shortly after Australia’s peak Jewish group urged composure on Tuesday as Israel’s foreign minister warned of “additional measures” against Australia amid a diplomatic “tit-for-tat” over visa cancellations.“There are real-life consequences here and we want to see the countries work through any issues before things get out of hand,” said Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry.The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, accused the Albanese government of “choosing to fuel” antisemitism after cancelling the visa of the far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman ahead of his planned speaking tour in Sydney and Melbourne later this week.Sa’ar also announced he would revoke the visas of Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, in a move labelled “unjustified” and “undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution” by Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong.The escalating diplomatic row followed Australia’s decision earlier this month to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly in September after new commitments by the Palestinian Authority.The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said while the prime minister deserved respect it was a “two-way street” and accused Albanese of making “bad decisions”.“It is up to Anthony Albanese to explain how he is going to repair this relationship which is now in tatters as a result of his failures of leadership,” she said.Rothman’s visa was cancelled by the home affairs department on Monday, citing “an unacceptable risk” to order in Australia and concern the member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition would make “inflammatory statements to promote his controversial views and ideologies”.Simcha Rothman (left) and Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Knesset. Photograph: Amir Cohen/ReutersIn a Hebrew-language video message shortly after his statement, Sa’ar warned Australia was “persecuting Israel” and his government would “take additional measures”.But Jewish groups in Australia called for cooler heads to prevail in light of the countries’ “extensive economic, scientific and cultural ties”.Ryvchin said both countries should end the “diplomatic tit-for-tat that erodes the goodwill and cooperation built up over decades”.“Calm heads need to take control of the situation otherwise there will be a risk to some $2bn dollars in bilateral trade, extensive investment in Australian start-ups, vital security cooperation and the Israeli-made medicine and medical technology that we all rely on,” he said.The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council said while it did not agree with many of Rothman’s views, it found the decision to cancel his visa to be a “disturbing precedent”.“It is very disappointing that Australia and Israel have regressed from a close friendship to unproductive diplomatic jousting, which of course was started by unwarranted and hostile actions by the Australian government,” the council said in a statement.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailThe president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told the Jewish Independent website on Tuesday that Rothman’s views were “out of step with mainstream Israeli opinion and with the values of most Australian Jews”.