Israeli PM accuses Albanese of fuelling anti-Semitism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a deadly shooting at a Jewish holiday celebration in Sydney and said he had warned his Australian counterpart that the government’s support for a Palestinian state would fuel anti-Semitism.

Gunmen opened fire during an event marking the first night of Hanukkah at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 11 people in what Australian authorities described as a targeted anti-Semitic attack.

One of the suspected gunmen was also killed.

Netanyahu said the attack was “cold-blooded murder”.

He added that in a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August he said the Australian government’s policies supported and encouraged antisemitism in Australia.

“Your call for a Palestinian state fuels anti-Semitic fires. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who threaten Australian Jews and it encourages the Jew hatred that now runs rampant in your streets,” Netanyahu wrote in a speech.

Albanese said on 11 August that Australia would recognize the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September; The move follows similar announcements by France, the United Kingdom and Canada.

In his speech on Sunday, Netanyahu accused the Albanese government of “doing nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia”.

“You allowed the disease to spread, and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews that we see today,” he added.

Albanese called a meeting of the country’s national security council on Sunday and condemned the attack, saying the evil that emerged was “incomprehensible”.

“This is a targeted attack on Australian Jews on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy and celebration of faith,” he said.