The prime minister pointed to Canberra’s recognition of a Palestinian state and tolerance of anti-Israel protests
December 15, 2025 10:18
Senior Israeli politicians have taken aim at the Australian government following Sunday’s terror attack on a Chanukah gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, accusing ministers of being too weak on antisemitism in the build-up to the tragedy.
Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that he had previously warned his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, that Canberra's actions "poured fuel on this antisemitic fire".
He pointed to policies such as the recognition of a Palestinian state, which Canberra confirmed earlier this year, and a refusal to ban major pro-Palestine marches, even after images emerged from one recent rally of demonstrators apparently holding antisemitic signs and the flags of proscribed terror groups.
"Antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. You must replace weakness with action," said Netanyahu.
"We are in a battle against global antisemitism and the only way to fight it is to denounce it and to fight it."
Likewise, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said: "I'm appalled by the murderous shooting attack at a Chanukah event in Sydney, Australia.
"These are the results 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 today.
"The Australian government, which received countless warning signs, must come to its senses."
And, in his own statement, President Herzog called on the Australian government to fight "the enormous wave of antisemitism that is plaguing Australian society".
He went on: "Our sisters and brothers in Sydney, Australia, have been attacked by vile terrorists in a very cruel attack on Jews who went to light the first candle of Chanukah.
"Our hearts go out to them…we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them, and we pray for those who lost their lives."
Per the Kan public broadcaster, several Israeli security figures have claimed that the Mossad tried to warn Australian intelligence services of the threat of some kind of significant attack against Jews.
Reacting to such claims, the chief of New South Wales Police, Mal Lanyon, said: "If the police had received intelligence that there was a risk to the community or to this event, we would’ve taken significant action."
The Bondi beach attack was the latest in a series of assaults against the Australian Jewish community, including a number of firebombings at synagogues and community venues last year.
Those incidents saw Canberra point the finger of blame at Iran, expelling the country's ambassador and proscribing the IRGC as a state sponsor of terror.
Suspicion once again fell on the Islamic Republic as The Telegraph reported that Israeli authorities believed Sunday’s attack may have been orchestrated by an "Iranian-backed foreign terror cell".
However, Albanese has since confirmed that Asio, Australia’s security service, had linked one of the shooters, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, to an Islamic State-affiliated terror cell in Sydney as early as October 2019.
ABC News has also reported that authorities now believe that both Naveed and the other gunman, his father Sajid, had pledged allegiance to Isis and that two of the group’s infamous black flags had been found in the car the pair left at the scene.
Sajid came to Australia in 1998 and was a licensed gun owner and gun club member linked to six firearms, while Naveed is an Australian-born citizen.
The older man was shot dead by police at the scene, while his son remains in critical condition and under arrest in hospital.
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