Netanyahu blames Australian govt for deadly Hanukkah attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked Australian government policies to the deadly attack on a Jewish gathering in Sydney at the weekend, claiming that Canberra’s support for Palestinian statehood has fueled domestic anti-Semitism.
Two gunmen killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday. Police shot dead one of the attackers, identified as the elder member of a suspected father-and-son pair. A local Muslim man was praised for intervening by tackling one of the assailants and disarming him.
Netanyahu claimed the violence was the outcome of policies pursued by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which he blamed for “promoting and encouraging anti-Semitism in Australia.” The Israeli leader said he had warned the Australian government months earlier against endorsing Palestinian statehood on those grounds.
Australia formally recognized Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, joining several countries seeking to pressure Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
“I wrote: ‘Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the anti-Semitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets’,” Netanyahu remarked. The mass shooting stemmed from the Australian government’s “weakness” and “inaction” in combating the “cancer” of anti-Semitism, he claimed.
Albanese focused on domestic gun policy in his response to the attack, calling for restricting ownership. Police said the deceased suspect legally owned six firearms, which were allegedly used in the assault.
The Bondi Beach attack marked Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which a lone gunman killed 35 people.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after the October 2023 attack by Hamas and other militant groups. The campaign has since expanded to strikes in Lebanon and Yemen and included a brief but intense exchange of drones and missiles with Iran. Authorities in Gaza say the death toll has exceeded 70,000 and continues to rise, despite a US-backed ceasefire announced in October.
