Netanyahu slams inaction by Canberra

Senior Israeli officials have accused Australia’s leadership of ignoring antisemitism ahead of the deadly mass shooting targeting the Chanukah event at Bondi Beach.

Speaking hours after the terrorist attack, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that he had sent a letter in August to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, charging Canberra with pouring fuel “on this antisemitic fire.”

Paraphrasing his letter, Netanyahu said Albanese’s policies – which included recognising a Palestinian state in September – encouraged “the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets. “Antisemitism is a cancer – it spreads when leaders stay silent. You must replace weakness with action.”

In an oblique attack on the Australian government, Netanyahu added: “We will continue to denounce those who do not denounce [antisemitism], but instead encourage.

“We will continue to demand that they do what is needed of leaders of free nations.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the “cruel” shootings, calling on Canberra to fight against “the enormous wave of antisemitism” that he said “is plaguing Australian society.”

“Our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who had gone to light the first candle of Chanukah,” he said at an event at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

“We repeat our alerts time and again to the Australian government.”

In an English-language tweet, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declared, “The Australian government, which received countless warning signs, must come to its senses.”

He added, the shootings at Bondi Beach were the result of “the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the antisemitic and inciting calls of ‘Globalise the Intifada’ that were realised.”

In a statement, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry accused Canberra of “appeasing the enemies of Western civilisation,” adding that all available data indicated that “Australia has become one of the Western countries experiencing the sharpest and most alarming rise in antisemitic incidents since October 7,” and that “repeated warnings, appeals, and attempts to engage with the authorities have been met time and again with a wall of indifference.”

Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, wrote that while visiting Australia, he had witnessed “grave and troubling antisemitism, without an adequate response from the Australian government”.

Fellow Religious Zionism MK Ohad Tal tweeted that the Chanukah massacre in Bondi “is not fate; it’s the result of antisemitism that is allowed to grow unchecked”.

Members of the opposition and of the so-called anti-Netanyahu “change bloc” also castigated the Australian government.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett charged that “failed and weak leadership on antisemitism led to [what happened at] Bondi.”

“The writing was on the wall, and the government turned a blind eye to it,” Bennett continued, in a separate statement.

“I demand that the Australian government take immediate action to protect Jewish communities, and deal with antisemitism with the utmost seriousness,” Bennett said.

Benny Gantz, the chairman of the opposition Blue and White party, posted: “What starts with genocidal cries for the destruction of Israel, unsurprisingly ends with arson attacks on synagogues, and murderous terror shootings against Jews at a Chanukah event”.

Gantz called on Canberra to “take unprecedented measures to secure and protect their Jewish communities.”

WORLD LEADERS HAVE THEIR SAY

Leaders and officials from countries around the world united in a chorus of condemnation about the bloodshed at Bondi Beach.

US President Donald Trump called the shooting “a purely antisemitic attack”, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that the US “strongly condemns” the deadly attack, adding, “Antisemitism has no place in this world.

“Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.”

British monarch King Charles said he and his wife “are appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack”.

“In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve,” he said.

“I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia — and the light at the heart of the Chanukah festival — will always triumph over the darkness of such evil.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the terror attack as “sickening”.

“France extends its thoughts to the victims, the injured and their loved ones,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron on X.

“We share the pain of the Australian people and will continue to fight relentlessly against antisemitic hatred, which hurts us all, wherever it strikes.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X that she felt “profound grief.

“By once again firmly condemning all forms of violence and antisemitism, Italy expresses its own condolences for the victims,” she added.

And German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, also on X, said: “I am deeply shocked by the terrorist attack in Sydney – an act of hatred directed against all Jews worldwide on the first day of Chanukah..

“My thoughts are with the families of those murdered, the injured, and the Jewish community.”