Netanyahu claims Melbourne synagogue attack linked to Labor’s ‘anti-Israel sentiment’

Paris: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue to what he called the Albanese government’s “anti-Israel sentiment”, as the diplomatic falling-out between the two nations plunged to new lows.

In a statement posted to social media expressing his shock at the “classic, despicable, antisemitic incident”, Netanyahu pointed to Australia’s “scandalous decision” to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip earlier this week, along with its refusal to grant a visa to a former Israeli minister last month.

Worshippers were forced to flee Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue on Friday after it was set on fire in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned as an “act of hate”. Community leaders said several people were inside at the time, and they had reported seeing firebombs thrown. One person was injured, with the fire causing extensive damage.

The relationship between Australia and Israel – decades-long allies – has been severely strained by the war in Gaza, with Australia’s peak Jewish groups saying they feel betrayed by the Albanese government, which has not backed Israel as fiercely as the Coalition.

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia,” Netanyahu said, citing the UN resolution and the denial of an Australian visa for former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked last month because her remarks about Palestinians in Gaza were deemed a threat to social cohesion.

“Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism,” Netanyahu declared, as he said he expected Australian authorities “to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future”.

More than 10 hours after Netanyahu’s statement, neither the prime minister nor any senior government minister has responded to the comments. The prime minister, who is in Perth today, is expected to make a statement on Saturday afternoon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked the attack on Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue to what he called the Albanese government’s “anti-Israel sentiment”.Credit: Getty Images, Simon Schluter, Alex Ellinghausen

However, the local mayor of the area where the synagogue is situated said she disagreed with Netanyahu’s comments, saying governments at all levels had worked hard to bring calm to the area.

City of Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford said she believed policymakers in Australia were trying their best to ease tensions around the Israel-Palestine conflict and encourage harmony.

“I think a lot of the governments – council, state and federal – have been trying to bring calm and reduce that heightened emotion,” she said.

“We’re all human beings, and these are innocent people that were attacked yesterday. I’m hoping it’s the wake-up call the world needs to take a deep breath and look at each other as people.”

Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to declare the firebombing a terrorist attack and create a national police taskforce to combat antisemitism.

“Make no mistake, that was an act of antisemitism and an act of terrorism. It was not an attack on one, it was an attack on all Australians because, as a result of that terrorist attack, we are all less safe,” he said at a press conference in Caulfield South on Saturday.

“Our leaders, through their inaction, are emboldening those who hate and those who harm.”

Former Labor senator Nova Peris said Albanese had failed to show leadership.

“It’s madness that there are no consequences for the attacks of racial hatred upon the Jewish community in this country. Our prime minister is meant to represent all of Australia, and we’ve got a cohort of people that are just running amok on the streets with no consequences.”

Opposition spokesman for home affairs James Paterson said the prime minister should have done more to prevent what he described as one of the worst attacks on the Jewish community in Australia. “It is an extraordinary state of affairs that the prime minister of Israel has made the statements he has overnight, appealing to the Albanese government to take seriously the antisemitism crisis that has festered in our country on their watch,” Paterson said.

“I think Australia’s abandonment of Israel, but also our closest ally and partner, the United States, at the United Nations, is a disgrace, and it has harmed our national security, and it is not in our national interests.”

Paterson called for the prime minister to confirm if the national security committee of cabinet had met, and to allow the opposition leader to be briefed by the Australian Federal Police. “When there is a serious national security incident like this, the normal course of events is [that] the opposition is provided with a briefing, but … it has not yet been granted.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had strongly criticised the government of Anthony Albanese over its lack of support for Israel.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, AP

He said the lack of response from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was also concerning. “The Minister for Home Affairs is responsible for counterterrorism, and yet [he] has not held a press conference, he has not done a media interview, he’s not issued a statement, he hasn’t even sent a tweet of concern for the Australian Jewish community,” Paterson said.

Soon after Paterson’s claim, Burke tweeted: “Yesterday’s attack against the Adass Israel Synagogue was horrific and evil. People have a right to feel safe in Australia.”

The recent UN vote on Israel and Palestine marked a two-decade change in Australia’s position on the matter and coincided with Australia’s ambassador to Israel, Ralph King, being summoned by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar over the earlier decision to deny Shaked entry to Australia.

The last time Australia voted for a UN resolution calling for ­Israel to withdraw from occupied territories was in 2001. In May, Australia voted to recognise Palestine as qualified to become a full UN member, and last month, Australia backed a resolution recognising the “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinians” over resources in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Hours before the synagogue attack, Netanyahu’s office had strongly criticised the Albanese government over its lack of support for Israel, suggesting Australia may no longer be a “key ally” of the Jewish state. The statement provided to The Australian marked the first time the Israeli government had commented on Australia’s actions since the October 7 attack sparked war across the Middle East.

Netanyahu is the first Western-allied leader to be accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Israel has filed appeals and asked the court to suspend the arrest warrants it has issued for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant. Amnesty International this week released a report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Israel said the report was fabricated by a “deplorable and fanatical organisation”.

The exterior of Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue shows visible signs of damage after an arson attack on Friday. Credit: Arsineh Houspian

The US “fundamentally” rejected the ICC’s decision to issue the arrest warrants. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia respected the independence of the court and “its important role in upholding international law”.

On Friday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke to Albanese, urging him to take “firm and strong action” against antisemitism, as he condemned a surge of attacks on the Australian Jewish community.

Posting on X, Herzog condemned “an intolerable wave of attacks on Jewish communities in Australia and around the world”, echoing remarks from Israel’s foreign minister earlier in the day.

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