Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he warned Australian leaders about the rise of anti-Semitism in their country months before a devastating mass shooting that killed at least 15 people and a gunman during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney on Dec. 14.
“On Aug. 17, about four months ago, I sent Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese of Australia a letter in which I gave him warning that the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging anti-Semitism in Australia,” Netanyahu said during a meeting on Sunday.
“I wrote, ‘Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the antisemitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorism. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets.’”
Netanyahu spoke about his call to action just hours after two gunmen stormed a “Hanukkah by the Sea” beach celebration.
A 12-year-old child was among over a dozen that died in the attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Three other children were hospitalized.
One of the two gunmen was shot and killed by police and the second was detained but went to the hospital in critical condition.
The massacre, which injured at least 38 others, was the deadliest to happen in Australia in nearly three decades.
Albanese said Australia would recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September.
The Australian prime minister condemned the massacre and called the incident a “devastating terrorist incident” that “has struck the heart of our nation.”
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy [and a celebration of faith]” Albanese said.
The attack happened at one of Australia’s most popular beaches.
World leaders have shared their condolences with impacted communities.
“Tonight we stand with the Australian Jewish community as we light the Hanukkah candles and honor the enduring strength of the Jewish people,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
“Such horrific antisemitic attacks must be universally condemned.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the attack left him “utterly shocked,” adding, “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
“This is an attack on our shared values. We must fight antisemitism—here in Germany and around the world,” he said.
Police do not believe the shooting was connected to a series of other anti-Semitic attacks that have happened across the country.
Dozens of people have been arrested for vandalizing or setting fires to homes, schools, and synagogues in Jewish neighborhoods since October.
Attacks include firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue, a Jewish childcare center set on fire, and cars defaced in areas where Jewish people reside.
The majority of these incidents have happened in Sydney and Melbourne—home to 85 percent of the country’s Jewish population.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
