Netanyahu blames Australian Labor Party's anti-Israel rhetoric for Melbourne synagogue attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Australian Labor government's anti-Israel rhetoric for the arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne on Friday in a social media post. 

The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future.Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme…

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 6, 2024

"The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future," Netanyahu wrote on X/Twitter.

"Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the UN resolution calling on Israel 'to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible,' and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country," he continued.

"Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism."

Australia's government defended its record on curbing antisemitism on Saturday after Netanyahu accused it of anti-Israel policies following an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.

Australian gov. say they are taking actions against antisemitism 

Murray Watt, Australia's minister for employment and workplace relations, responded that "the Albanese Government has taken a range of strong actions to stand against antisemitism and to stamp it out from our community."

Since taking office in May 2022, the government had provided $25 million to Jewish organizations to upgrade security and safety at Jewish sites, including schools, banned the Nazi salute, and was taking action against hate speech, Watt said.

"I respectfully disagree with Prime Minister Netanyahu on this matter," Watt said in Brisbane, according to a transcript.

Albanese condemned the attack on Friday, saying there was no place for antisemitism in Australia.

Police said on Saturday they were still looking for two people suspected of deliberately starting the synagogue fire that injured one and caused widespread damage in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state.

Australia has experienced a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. Laws passed last year banned public displays of terror group symbols.

Some Jewish groups, however, say Albanese's government has not done enough to tackle the rise of antisemitism.

Dozens of pro-Palestine protests over the past year have been largely peaceful, although the government raised concerns that protests could inflame community tensions and disrupt social harmony.

Netanyahu's condemnations also came as former treasurer Josh Frydenberg publicly demanded the arson attack be labelled as a terrorist incident, according to Sky News Australia. 

The former treasurer said, "The first thing the Prime Minister needs to do is he and his government need to declare yesterday's attack at the The Adass Israel Synagogue a terrorist event.

"There was a firebombing at a place of worship with people inside who have been injured as a result and the legislation is very clear," he said. "When it comes to racially, politically or religiously motivated violence such as this attack- it is a terrorist attack and it needs to be declared as such."