After nearly two years of persistent efforts, Sharri Markson has secured a world exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, airing tonight on Sharri at 8pm AEST on Sky News Australia.
“Media interviews are very hard to come by with him in the first place,” Markson told Mediaweek. “He’s a wartime leader, and Australia is hardly his top priority.”
Long chase from Tel Aviv to Canberra
Markson first travelled to Israel 10 months ago for the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, interviewing former Prime Ministers Ehud Olmert and Naftali Bennett, along with survivors of the Nova music festival.
During that trip, she pushed hard for a sit-down with Netanyahu, and on her final day, secured a 45-minute meeting.
“It was just me, him, and a senior advisor in the room,” she said. “I really felt like I connected with him on a human level.” That early conversation touched on regional security, Iran, and Donald Trump’s role in shaping Israel’s strategy, material she reported at the time. But the full chat remained elusive.
Sharri Markson reports on Sky News Australia during her visit to Israel
A last-minute green light
Efforts resumed in recent weeks amid renewed political tension over the Albanese government’s decision to support recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Markson said she pushed “really hard” to get the interview as news of Australia’s position gained global attention.
“I was told no, then maybe, then perhaps, because of his diary and schedule. It was a real maybe right up until the last minute,” she said.
That green light came at 11:15pm.
“I immediately told Mark Calvert, who’s the director of programmes, and we all raced into the studio,” she said. The interview took place at 2am. “I already had all my questions prepared, but of course we did some final finessing… I didn’t get home until about 3:40. Barely had any sleep, but this is what you want, you know?”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Netanyahu responds to Albanese’s stance
During the interview, Netanyahu addressed comments made by Australian leaders and his recent criticism of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whom he accused earlier this week of having “betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
Speaking to Markson, he said: “Well look, I’m sure he has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters.”
Netanyahu also defended Israel’s actions in the ongoing conflict. “He was mounting his case in the strongest possible way,” Markson said. “He knows the propaganda that’s out there against Israel and the comments from the Australian government.”
She added that Netanyahu framed Israel’s military strategy as ethical and necessary: “This was him mounting his case for why Israel is fighting this war, how it is doing it, in his view, ethically. It was a really strong interview.”