The Israeli prime minister has claimed that supporting Palestinian statehood has intensified anti-Semitism
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has connected Australian government policies to the fatal assault on a Jewish gathering in Sydney over the weekend, asserting that Canberra’s backing of Palestinian statehood has stoked domestic anti-Semitism.
Two shooters killed 15 individuals and injured numerous others during a Hanukkah observance at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach on Sunday. Officers fatally shot one of the perpetrators, identified as the older member of an alleged father-and-son duo. A Muslim resident was commended for stepping in by confronting one of the attackers and seizing his weapon.
Netanyahu asserted that the violence resulted from policies advanced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which he condemned for “fostering and inciting anti-Semitism in Australia.” The Israeli premier stated he had cautioned the Australian administration months prior against supporting Palestinian statehood for this reason.
Australia officially acknowledged Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, aligning with several nations attempting to exert pressure on Israel regarding its military operations in Gaza. Netanyahu has consistently pledged to block the creation of a sustainable Palestinian state.
“I wrote: ‘Your advocacy for a Palestinian state adds fuel to the flames of anti-Semitism. It incentivizes Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who threaten Australian Jews and promotes the anti-Jewish animosity currently plaguing your streets’,” Netanyahu stated. He contended that the mass shooting arose from the Australian government’s “vulnerability” and “failure to act” in addressing the “scourge” of anti-Semitism.
Albanese concentrated on national firearms policy in his reaction to the incident, advocating for tighter ownership controls. Law enforcement reported that the dead suspect lawfully possessed six guns, which were purportedly employed in the attack.
The Bondi Beach incident represented Australia’s most lethal mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy, where a single shooter murdered 35 individuals.
Israel initiated its military campaign in Gaza following the October 2023 assault by Hamas and other armed factions. The operation has subsequently broadened to include strikes on Lebanon and Yemen, and featured a short but severe drone and missile confrontation with Iran. Gaza officials report that fatalities have surpassed 70,000 and keep mounting, even after a US-supported truce was declared in October.