The Israeli Prime Minister accused Anthony Albanese on Sunday of “doing nothing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism.”
Australia’s prime minister has rejected accusations from his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Australia’s recognition of the Palestinian state earlier this year contributed to Sunday’s deadly anti-Semitic terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
In an interview with national broadcasters, Anthony Albanese was asked if he accepted “any link between this recognition and the massacre in Bondi”.
“No, I don’t agree,” Albanese said, adding: “Overwhelmingly, most of the world recognizes the two-state solution as the way forward in the Middle East.”
Fifteen Jews died and dozens were injured after two local men opened fire on a crowd gathered to celebrate the religious festival of Hanukkah. Both men were shot by police, one fatally.
Albanese did not directly respond to Netanyahu’s accusation that he had “traded weakness for weakness and appeasement for more appeasement” in the fight against anti-Semitism.
“This is a time of national unity where we need to come together… We need to embrace members of the Jewish community who are going through an extraordinarily difficult time,” Albanese said. “My job is… to make it clear that the vast majority of Australians stand with the Jewish community at this difficult time.”
Tensions between Australia and Israel have been high since August, when Israel revoked the visas of Australian diplomats in occupied Palestine, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said at the time was an “unjustified reaction following Australia’s decision to recognize Palestine”.
The Australian government said the decision is part of a coordinated international effort to push forward a two-state solution, a ceasefire to halt the bloody Israeli offensive in Gaza and the release of hostages taken by Hamas in its surprise and lethal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
At the time, Netanyahu classified the measure as “absurd” and a “reward for terrorism”.
On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister, who leads the most right-wing government in Israel’s history and faces elections within a year, said the Albanese government “has done nothing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism in Australia.”
“We are worried right now about our people, about our security, and we will not remain silent… We fight against those who try to annihilate us,” Netanyahu said.
Albanese, leader of the Labor Party (center-left), said on Monday that his government is prepared to take all necessary measures. At a press conference, Albanese listed the actions already taken by his government, including the criminalization of hate speech and incitement to violence, as well as a ban on the Nazi salute.
Funding for physical security for Jewish community groups will be increased, he said, and highlighted the need for stricter gun laws in Australia, which already has some of the world’s most restrictive firearms legislation.
A special envoy appointed by the government last year to deal with a series of graffiti and arson attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses said Sunday’s terrorist attack “did not happen without warning.”
“It was already clear,” said the envoy, Jillian Segal, in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio on Monday.
Jewish community leaders reiterated their call for more action. “There has been an alarming level of anti-Semitism that has been manifesting itself in this country, as well as others. When anti-Semitism is not addressed by authorities, these are the things that happen,” said Levi Wolff, chief rabbi of Sydney’s Central Synagogue.
The leader of the Liberal Party, Australia’s conservative opposition, said the Labor Party had allowed anti-Semitism to “spread”.
“From today, everything needs to change in how governments respond,” Sussan Ley said at a news conference, adding that Albanese must implement all the recommendations in a report released by Segal in July, including a focus on university campuses.
Standing alongside Segal when the report was released in July, Albanese condemned anti-Semitism as an “evil scourge” and said his government would spend A$25 million to bolster security at Jewish community sites, including schools, among other measures.
Albanese said at the time that it was also important to separate anti-Semitism from legitimate criticism of the Netanyahu government’s actions, noting that he and other international leaders had criticized Israel. “You should be able to express your opinion here in Australia about events overseas. Where the line was crossed was in blaming and identifying people simply for being Jewish,” he said in July.
In addition to calling for tougher laws against hate crimes, Segal called for more rigorous screening of visa applicants for anti-Semitic views and special attention to universities, cultural institutions and television stations.
According to 2021 census data, there are around 116,967 Australians with a Jewish identity, representing 0.46% of the national population of 25 million, living mainly in the central regions of Sydney and Melbourne.
The Labor government has been attentive to Australia’s multicultural society, including Lebanon’s large and electorally influential migrant community.
Since 2023, police have allowed weekly protest marches against Israel’s war in Gaza to pass through.
Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador earlier this year after intelligence agencies attributed at least two anti-Semitic arson attacks to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Originally published by The Guardian on 12/15/2025
By Jason Burke – International Security Correspondent
Reuters contributed reporting
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/12/15/netanyahu-criticado-por-ligar-reconhecimento-da-palestina-a-ataque-na-australia/
